Batman The Vigilangte's Journey
by TheKaz1
Summary: This is a new version of the caped crusader, my version. My name is Qasim Bin Abrar Syed and this version of the batman book series has one unique pattern of defining almost every batman villain that he has ever encountered to it depth. This particular story will define Batman's origin and him saving Gotham from the horrible God father Rupert Thorne.


Author's Biography

Qasim Bin Abrar Syed was born on September 26, 1996. Even now he's just a boy with no career background and just a dream of being noticed in the World. He's had this inspiration of writing from reading various books like, Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice, Dracula by Bram Stroker and also from watching various movies like the dark knight trilogy and animated movies based on the characters Batman and Superman. In comparison with most writers now a days, his English is pretty weak but he's given all he has to this book and hopes that the fans who read it, will concentrate more on the story and less on the grammar or vocabulary.

Chapter 1: Birth and Death

"Master Wayne, it's a boy" said the twenty five year old butler from England working for Wayne family. Yes, it was a happy day indeed for Thomas and Martha had always wanted a boy. They had been married for four years now and were losing hope for any child at all but God was kind to them and awarded them with one. Thomas held the baby in his hand and he was such a beautiful yet fragile creature that Thomas took extreme care while holding him. When the doctor said that he could now see his wife, Thomas went in with Alfred behind him holding the little angel. Martha put the bed into a sitting position and then kissed the man of her life and then asked for the baby.

When Alfred gave him to her she said "Oh the life to my soul, I pray to the Holy One that you may never see or hear anything that scares you. May you be brave, be honest and be just. May you be like your father and his father before him" The doctor told Mr. Wayne that his wife will be discharged from the hospital in about two days and the baby along with her. Alfred Pennyworth drove his master from Gotham hospital back to the massive and magnificent Wayne mansion. Thomas got out of the car, went to his room and fell asleep for he was very tired from all the work at his company and with the baby being along the way. Wayne Enterprises was one of the top three companies in Gotham city and their basic goal was to make that city a better place for people to live, a place with peace and harmony. Thomas Wayne had worked extremely hard to gain all that he possessed and was by nature a very humble man. He was rich by birth but he never stopped believing in the fact that "Hard work lets you keep what you have"

He had this mansion built at a great distance from the city because he enjoyed peace and quiet and also because he wanted a huge place for himself and the girl he feel for at the age of twenty seven. Her father Bruce Steven was a banker and her mother had died when Martha was two years old. But her father always loved her more than anything in the world and made sure that she never felt the loss of one parent in her life time. There were four wings in the mansion and each had at least one garden of about one acre in land. The wings were the north wing that had the front gate and the main entrance to the inside of the mansion, the west wing with a library that had books from all over the planet and time. The east wing that had rooms for all the servants living in the mansion and the owners as well, of course they were not close by one another and the quality differed tremendously. The south wing was the wing that hid behind the first three and if someone was looking from the main gate of the north wing, the south wing would be out of his sight. Another thing about the south wing was that it was a plane grass land with trees and from the further south side it touched the fast flowing river that went all the way to Gotham sea port.

In two days Martha came back home and with her came the heir of the Wayne family whom the parents named after Martha's beloved father "Bruce Wayne" There was a huge party in Bruce's name and all of the city's high officials as well as the members of the board Wayne Enterprises came. Alfred was an amazing manager and he made sure that all the guests were served in the best of manner. And so the years past and Bruce spent the first ten years of his life in nothing less than luxury and happiness. He learnt no pain and he didn't have a worry in the world. All that a boy could ever ask for was there for Bruce. One night when everybody was asleep Bruce woke up because of thirst. He went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and when he came back he noticed that his window was a little open. He remembered that he had forgotten to close it before going to bed. He closed the window and went back to bed but just as he laid down he noticed something moving by the ceiling. He didn't move a muscle because of fear and he felt as if life was being drained out of him. Then with a sudden rush he ran towards the light button and on turning on the light he found out that it was a bat. Seeing the creature in bright light even made the fear worse and he ran towards his parents' room imagining that the bat was following him. When he got into their room, he was trembling with fear and his teeth rattled. He told them what he saw and they allowed him to sleep with them for the night.

A few days later he was playing with Alfred in the garden of the south wing. Although by then Alfred was a thirty five year old man but it was his duty and his love for his young master that gave him no shame or disgrace in playing tag with him. Bruce touched Alfred on the back and said "tag, you're it" and ran towards the south of the south wing where the river flowed. When he ran and covered a great distance, that was when another incident happened. Another bat came out of nowhere and started flying in Bruce's direction. Seeing the bat come at him, Bruce ran back towards Alfred with his heart in his mouth. Bats are creatures that cannot see but fly by yelling out a horrifying cry to find out whether there is an object in their path or not. It was screaming out those terrible noises, and Bruce felt as if it was coming to attack him so he ran faster than ever with tears of fear in his eyes and eventually jumped into Alfred's arms. He started crying out loud and kept on saying "I hate bats. They scare me". Alfred tried to calm him down and took him to Madam Martha.

She gave Bruce a kiss on the cheek and thanked Alfred for what he had done. Later on she fixed Bruce a nice warm bath and when Thomas came home she told him the whole story. He said that to cheer Bruce up, the next day they would all go to the city and do everything that Bruce wanted. He was a child and like most children forgot about the incident that had taken place earlier and focused on the pleasures he was going to get the next day. Poor child if only he knew what tomorrow held for him.

The next morning the sun was shining out bright and there was not a cloud in the sky. Bruce got up and so did the parents. His dad gave him a bath and then the three of them had breakfast together. After the breakfast all of them got suited up for the big day. Bruce wore a suit just like his father who was wearing a black suit and a pair of shoes with a white shirt underneath and a red tie on it. Martha was wearing a maroon Silky Knot Jersey dress, a diamond locket that Thomas had given her on her birthday and a pair of black high heels. Normally Thomas would take one of the guards with him while going to the city but since Bruce wanted it to be just three of them, he took no one. They got in their Mercedes Bens S600 and started towards Gotham city.

They reached the city in about twenty minutes and went straight to the amusement park. Bruce loved it because it had all those cool rides and all those games. Thomas and Martha just loved their little angel. They took a lot of photos together. Some of the photos had Martha and Thomas on the sides and Bruce in the middle, some just had Bruce and one was just Martha and Thomas. After spending hours at the carnival they went shopping in a toy store. In the toy store Bruce just kept on running all over the place looking at all sorts of toys and saying "I want that one and that one and that one" The name of the store was Barney's Toys. While running up and down the place Bruce found a rubber bat in one corner of the room, with dark eyes and an open mouth which revealed its white and terrifying teeth. Just looking at it made Bruce's skin crawl and he ran back towards his parents and hid his face in his mother's dress. They took the toys that Bruce liked and went out of the store.

It was 30th of March and about 8:30 pm when they got out of that store and just as they started walking towards the car with all the packages still in their hands, a man came out of nowhere and took out a revolver and put it to Martha's head. They were stunned as he caught them off guard. He said "Give me all that stuff and everything you've got on you" Thomas took out his purse and gave it to him. Just as he held it, he got distracted for just a moment and Thomas thought that it was the right opportunity. He punched the man so hard that he fell on the ground but when he went in to give a second blow a sound came out which was louder than anything that Bruce had ever heard. Thomas was shot in the heart and seeing this Martha lost control and started crying out loud. To make sure that her cries don't attract any more attention the man shot her in the head. Bruce didn't have a clue of what to do and he saw that when a few people, who were present in the area, saw that the man had a gun on him, ran away. The thug took the purse and the diamond locket and left. Bruce looked at his father and then his mother and then again the father and again the mother. Watching them give no response, he fell on his knees and started crying with his face on his father's chest and then after a while on his mother's chest. It was bad already but when Bruce got back to a sitting position and looked towards the sky to look for hope, the only thing or should I say the only creature that he saw was a blood thirsty bat making circles around a street light. He started trembling with fear and after a few seconds started running in the opposite direction. He ran and he ran until he hit somebody. It was a young police deputy and looking at a child at this time of night all alone, he understood that something was wrong. He took off his jacket and covered Bruce up and then asked him real slow about what happened. Bruce told him all he could, including the carnival, the store and the bat. The man's name was Harper Dent and after doing some investigation, he found out the place where the murder had happened and how Bruce was now an orphan. The shop keeper said that he was too scared and forgot to call the police.

Martha and Thomas Wayne were taken back to the mansion along with all the belongings that were left on the street. Bruce didn't give a damn about the toys the only things that mattered to him now, were either the photos that he and his parents took on their last day or Alfred. When he got home he jumped into Alfred arms and wept and wept. Martha and Thomas were buried in a grave yard where all the previous members of the Wayne family were buried. The Wayne Enterprises was given to Mr. George Plank who was one of the oldest members of the board and it was only until Bruce would become twenty one in age that he would have control. Mr. George was also chosen as Bruce's guardian until Bruce becomes of age. He promised Bruce one thing that whenever money was required Bruce needed to ask no one else and he made arrangements for Bruce to study in top boarding school in the United States of America which was in Baltimore at the time. Broken hearted and with nothing but pure innocence Bruce was sent to United School in Baltimore.

Chapter 2: A Boy and A Nightmare

"Good bye Alfred. I hope you'll come to visit me. Will you?" said the ten year old orphan. "Master Wayne I have been a loyal servant to your parents and I shall prove to be a faithful companion to you as well. Of course I shall come to visit. Now remember sir, you have to be in the hostel by 8 pm and that you have to reach class by 7:30 am. I hope your mother's wishes come true and you become the man she wanted you to be. Good bye sir." said Alfred while leaving Bruce on the doorstep of his dorm. Bruce's hostel was under the school's authority which means it was on walking distance from his school.

In that hostel all the children belonged to very rich families and many of the children came to this school in a positive manner to learn and were willing to study here, but there was also a vast majority of those children whose parents either didn't have time for them or they just didn't care. Rupert Thorne was a billionaire in Gotham city; he was the richest man in the entire state. His son, William Thorne was also admitted to this school not because Rupert wanted good education for the boy but because he didn't even liked the sight of that little brat. He loved to be among female companionship all the time and when William was two years old his mother died. Rupert never cared for the boy and would often beat him with sticks for small or no reason, turning him into a stubborn and ruthless monster.

George Plank was a hardworking man and his work was his life. He was the current main power of the Wayne Enterprises. He was once married to a beautiful singer but he never gave her the importance she deserved. After five years of marriage she gave birth to a baby girl and thought that a child might bring her husband closer to her but he loved his job more than anything on the planet. He would work so hard that he wouldn't come home for weeks or evens months at times. The little girl was named Amanda Plank and all she ever wanted was her daddy to hold her and tell her that he loved her but unfortunately that never happened. Alone and depressed Amanda's mother started seeing another man and after getting to know him for several months, she ran away with him, leaving poor Amanda and her father behind. When Amanda became nine she was also sent to the same school as William and Bruce.

Bruce got up at 6:00 am and started getting ready for school. By 6:30 am he was ready in his half sleeves check shirt, his blue pants and his brown leather shoes. From 6:30 am to 7:00am he ate his breakfast which of course was provided by the facility. After breakfast he started walking to school. In a few moments he was in front of the main building on top of which it said in red and blue "United School" He entered the building and after asking some questions he found his class. When he entered the class all the other children were already seated and their eyes were on him now. He saw that the only chair that was vacant was the one next to a blonde haired girl, who had green eyes and the face of a royal beauty. He walked to her and asked her "May I sit here?" She replied with a smile "Yeah sure" He sat down and she said "By the way my name is Amanda. Amanda Plank, what's your name?" He said "Bruce Wayne"

Then the teacher came in and started the class by saying "Hi, everyone my name is Professor Lucius Fox and I am your science teacher and as well as your class in charge. Before we start let me tell you guys a little about myself and how I came to this school. I am a PHD mechanical engineer and I've done my engineering from Oxford University. People often ask me why I'm teaching a class of kids after gaining such a high level of education and I just say, because it was my dream. I have come to teach you guys after learning that much because it was my dream to teach young kids like yourself and I hope that by the time the semester is over science will be like the back of your hand."

And it was a long day but Bruce got through it and because of Amanda it became a bit fun too. When school was over Bruce stepped out of the main door and he was greeted by a class senior. He was about two to three years older than Bruce and looked a lot stronger too. He asked if he could show Bruce around the whole school. Bruce knew that he had nothing better to do so he said yes and went on a school tour. This senior showed Bruce the world class library and the huge swimming pool the campus had. He showed Bruce the physics and chemistry labs, the world class computers, the artist's section and a lot more. At the end he asked Bruce if he would like to see an old building on the backside of the school. He was being so friendly that Bruce said yes and went to the old building behind the school.

It had a huge iron door and the inside was nothing but darkness. Bruce looked at it from the outside and asked the senior to go back, but instead of a reply Bruce received a punch straight in the stomach. He fell to the ground and couldn't even breathe. The senior said" Listen you little brat, this is my school and here my rules are the only rules. My name is William Thorne and you are nothing but ash compared to me." Bruce still held his stomach and couldn't say a word. He held Bruce by his hair and dragged him into the building and locked the door from the outside. He looked through a hole in the door and said "And if you ever try to tell anyone about what happened, I'll kill you" Saying the lines he left Bruce in that dark building.

Bruce fell unconscious due to fear of the dark and the pain. When he woke up it was dark outside as well and he tried getting up on his feet. After many attempts he got up and looked around for a way out. He started touching the walls around him but as soon as he made a few movements he heard something move within the building. He closed his eyes and tried to hear real close and to further add to his miserable condition it was a bat somewhere in the same building. He started screaming and crying out loud the words "I hate bats. They scare me." After an hour of crying and screaming a guard from the school heard it and ran for the building and when he opened the door he found a terrified boy inside. He took Bruce back to the dorm and when the question was asked of how he got into that place, the image of William saying that he will kill Bruce came into Bruce's mind and he said that he was wondering around when he saw that place and accidently got stuck in there.

He couldn't sleep all night thinking about the bat and the building. The next day everybody was talking about what had happened to Bruce. Lucius Fox asked Bruce what had happened but Bruce wasn't giving him a straight answer. After many attempts he finally got the truth out of Bruce that William Thorne was responsible for what happened. Lucius told the principal and he gave William a warning letter. William called his father and informed him about Lucius complaining about him. Rupert hated the boy but the thought of someone else even touching his son made him mad. He called up some of his connections and first he got Mr. Fox out of the job and then he took the second step and proved Mr. Fox's degree as fake, although they were real, but money can buy everything that's what he believed. Lucius Fox was ruined for trying to help a student. He lost his job, his house, all his money and most of all, his educational proof.

As for Bruce, almost as promised, his life was made a living hell. He was beaten and humiliated every day. Sometimes his face was shoved down the toilet and sometimes he was forced to spend the night outside the dorm and plenty of times he was left alone to fear the bat in the building. It was like no way out for poor Bruce but, leaving the fear of bats behind, he became stronger through this torment. He couldn't beat William but he started trying to defend himself, by sometimes punching him or kicking him while being beaten. Sometimes he even got away with it but most of the time Bruce took his beating and prayed for the day when he would go back to Gotham.

The only soul that gave him comfort through this time of suffering was Amanda who herself was thirsty for affection and Bruce was the only one who ever gave it to her. Her friendship and some emails from Alfred gave Bruce the hope to continue this horrible journey.

For seven years Bruce suffered under the hardships provided by William. Then the day finally came, when in two days' time school was going to end and the children were going to return to their homes, well most of them did it when they had summer or winter vacations but there were many who had to stay behind. William was planning to give Bruce a good bye present but couldn't come up with anything so horrible that it would either make Bruce cry or make him mad. Then after hours of thinking he had it.

On the final day party, everyone was busy and William thought it was the perfect moment. He gave one of the waiters a message to give to Amanda Plank and it said that "it's me Bruce come meet me by the back door" He gave another waiter another message to give to Bruce Wayne saying it was Amanda and she had something very important to talk about. Amanda got to the back door, in seven years she had grown in a beautiful young woman and the royal beauty she had before, was about ten times more than that it was back then. She was wearing a light yellow frock and looked incredibly lovely. When she got to the door she called out Bruce's name but instead of Bruce came William. He didn't say a word but grabbed her mouth and the intensions that he had were not good. She tried to resist but he was a strong man and she was just a young girl. When Bruce arrived and saw them, he was filled with rage. William was licking Amanda's neck while looking straight into Bruce's eyes. Then he threw her aside and said that if Bruce couldn't beat him, he will do exactly what Bruce was thinking. Bruce rushed towards him and he rushed towards Bruce. When they came in contact he lifted Bruce up and then threw him on the ground. He got on Bruce's chest and starting punching him on the face. After a few punches Amanda came from behind and hit him with her shoe. He left Bruce on the ground and turned his attention towards her.

When he closed up on her, Bruce came from behind and punched him right on the head. It was a heavy blow and he fell to the ground and now Bruce got on him and started punching him as hard as he could. After a few moments Amanda came and stopped Bruce saying "Stop it. You're not like him." Bruce stopped and when he got up he took Amanda back to the party and they left William on the ground bleeding. When they got back to the party, Amanda asked Bruce to close his eyes and said that she had something for him. At first he hesitated but then he did it and before you know it, she locked her red lips with his. He didn't stop either and when it was over she said that he was the only one she's ever wanted to be with. Bruce said that as soon as he'd become head of his company again he would marry her and they would live in the Wayne mansion.

When the party was over the seventeen year old boy and the sixteen year old girl took the next flight back to Gotham city.

Chapter 3: From a Boy to a Man

"I love you Bruce Wayne. My father is here, but you must promise me that we will be together once you're back on your post as the owner and head of the Wayne Enterprises." "I love you too but first I have to bring peace to this city, for it's the place my father worked hard for and like my parents were killed in front of my own eyes, I don't want there to be another Bruce Wayne in Gotham as long as I live. But once I am the head of my company again then yes, you and I shall be married and we will live the life my parents once lived." Her father arrived and asked a worker, who was with him, to carry her luggage. In a moment, Alfred also arrived and picked up Bruce's luggage and put it in the car's trunk. Then he and Bruce went home.

When they reached the gate, Bruce remembered the last time he was there and how dreadful it was for him. He asked Alfred to turn the car around and take it to the amusement park where he had spent the last day with his parents. When they reached the destination his eyes were full of tears and then he asked Alfred to take him to toy store in front of which his parents were murdered. Alfred insisted that they should go back as it was getting late and the sight of the place might be very unpleasant for him, but he wouldn't listen. So forcefully, Alfred drove the car to Barney's Toys. Once they reached that spot Bruce got out of the car and walked up to the point where his parents were shot. He stood there for an hour and Alfred didn't say a word because he knew what kind of emotions were rising from within Bruce. After an hour had passed, Bruce started walking back towards the car but as he was about to open the car door, he saw that in a distance a thug was trying to rob a woman.

He was trying to snatch her purse and when the people around saw the scene, they started running away. This scene was familiar to Bruce and instead of getting in the car he ran towards the action. Alfred tried to shout and stop him but Bruce was in rage and didn't listen. He got close and punched the thug on the face with all the might that he had. Alfred got out of the car and ran after him but he was at a little far away from Bruce. The woman took her purse and ran away. The thug felt the punch and went a few steps back but when he noticed that it was nothing more than a seventeen year old boy, he gave Bruce a few real punches and a kick and then he ran away. Bruce had had his beatings from William but, this was nothing close to William as that man was a full grown adult and he used a combination of three punches and a kick which knocked Bruce out cold.

When he woke up he was in his room in the mansion, with a bandage around the head and Alfred was sleeping on the couch right next to the bed. He got up and started walking towards a mirror that was present in the room. Meanwhile, Alfred woke up and said" Sir, I must say that was rather fo….." when he was cut off by Bruce saying "Alfred book a flight and a hotel room in Beijing. I'll pack my bags in a few moments and then I leave." Alfred was surprised and said "Yes sir, but may I ask the cause of this visit?" Bruce said "My father worked so hard to protect this city and I believe it's my duty to take his place now, but not in the way the people want me to, I will protect them by going in the streets myself and fighting for the people who can't fight for themselves. Do not ask me any question regarding this now and make my preparations. And one last thing, before I go I will give you a letter and I want you to give it to Amanda." Bruce packed his bags and wrote a letter for Amanda. Alfred wasn't sure about this idea but the rage and anger in Bruce's eyes was enough to keep him silent. Bruce gave Alfred the letter and then was taken to Gotham airport. He got in and flew away all the way to Beijing.

When he landed, he got out of the airport and a car was waiting to take him to the royal hotel which was a five star hotel and had a room booked for him. He took his rest that night, and prepared himself for the next day to come. The next day he started searching for kung fu schools. When he wrote (kungfu in Beijing) in Google, the name that appeared on the top was "Master Yoro Sensay's Kungfu school". He clicked the link and on the home page was the picture of a forty year old man and below it was written:

"Master Yoro Sensay is the founder and the oldest teacher of this school. He has learned these great martial arts from his father and now wishes to pass on these teachings on to the world. If you wish to master kungfu, then there is no place better to go then our school. So come on by and apply at Master Yoro Sensay's Kungfu School."

Bruce took the address and went to the school. He asked for Yoro Sensay but because of the language problem it was really difficult to reach him. After spending hours and just walking around, he was finally directed towards Mr. Sensay. When he first saw Mr. Sensay he was stunned to see that Mr. Sensay was having a combat with someone else in a private arena. His speed, his movement and his delivery was better than any Bruce had ever seen. One second he was here and the next he was in the other corner of the arena. His balance was so good that fighting on one leg was just as easy as fighting on both. After about a minute or so, he knocked his opponent down and then helped him stand up.

Now he turned his attention towards Bruce and said "Neha, how may I help you?" Bruce replied "Neha sir, my name is Bruce Wayne and I have travelled half way around the world to learn this art form of kungfu from the best, which in this case is you." Mr. Sensay said "That would be good but I fear you might not be able to afford my school's fees. Since it's the best in all of china it has to be expensive. The teachers here are all my students and you will be learning from one of them, so their fee is one issue. I would love to train you with one of my classes but that would cost you more than all of the other programs. Do you have enough money to be a student at this school Bruce?" Bruce answered "Sir, my desire is not to study under the training of one of your students, nor is it to study in one of your classes. I can pay you far more than you can imagine for a private training and that is what I desire. Private lessons to master this art just like you. To be a true master of kungfu is what I want." At first Sensay thought that it was a joke, but as Bruce explained he understood the possibilities Bruce was offering and agreed to train Bruce away from Beijing alone, upon the cold mountains of Himalayan.

Mr. Sensay asked for a period of three days before they embarked on their journey, because he had to make certain arrangements for his son, Chao and his wife Ling. After three days they travelled from Beijing to the Himalayans. Mr. Sensay took Bruce to a house on the mountains which was very small in size and around it was nothing but cold winds and rocky surfaces. When they got in Bruce was expecting a little rest before they begin their training but no, as soon as they dropped the luggage inside the house, Mr. Sensay gave Bruce a HeeFu (Kungfu uniform) and asked him to put it on and meet him outside. He did as he was told and when he came out on the small porch that was in front of the house Mr. Sensay said" Do you accept me as your master?" Bruce replied with a simple yes and then Yoro Sensay said "Well then, you must tell me all about yourself right here and you must also tell me why you really wish to master this art." They both sat down in front of each other and Bruce told him everything about his life and also the reason why he wanted to master that art. After listening to Bruce's story his master stood up and held his own fist in his hand and said "Let's begin"

For the first six months Bruce only did the basic training which included repeated simple movements like stretching, meditation, striking, jumping and throwing. They might sound easy but they're not, when you doing your stretches on mountains with icy cold winds about them and you don't have your shirt on it really chills. The Striking was supposed to make some the body parts like the hands, arms, legs and feet almost as hard as solid rock. He used to strike down fire wood from the far valleys at the bottom of the mountains by punching and kicking them until his hands and legs bleed. After some time they stopped bleeding, and striking down a whole tree didn't hurt a bit. Jumping from high grounds to lower grounds and from lower to high might sound sweet and cuddly but, it was not only painful but dangerous as well because one minor mistake and you're falling from a mountain. Bruce knew it was hard, but the seven years that he had spent in that hell were a lot worse than this, so he was calm and very keen on learning more. Throwing consisted of throwing small rocks and big ones. To throw small rocks with such force that it should be faster than a bullet was not easy and it took most of Bruce's time. Throwing big ones was a big challenge as well because it wasn't just throwing them at some distance, one was supposed to throw them at least 1 to 2 meters away. The rocks that Yoro Sensay gave Bruce were at least fifty kg in mass and the mass increased as Bruce's training progressed.

Meditation was compulsory as it is said "Train both internal and external". After the first six months of basic training Bruce was taken to the next level and that was "Stances". In martial arts, stances are the distribution, foot orientation and body positions (particularly the legs and torso) adopted when attacking, defending, advancing or retreating. Six months of stances taught Bruce how to fight an opponent in a hand to hand combat. Master Yoro Sensay used wooden sticks and his own hands to train Bruce perfect his stances. And after a while Bruce got the hang of it too. After stances came the power of pure meditation and with it came Qi.

Qi is an invisible energy found within the human body but to attain such energy one must be in complete contact with himself. Bruce had been doing his meditation since he stared his basic training but achieving Qi seemed impossible as he couldn't get into his own head. He asked his master for some advice and was asked to look into his past. That night he sat down to meditate and while doing so, remembered his past all over again. By morning he felt as if his body was flowing with power. He had done it. Qi was now known to Bruce. It took him a whole year to achieve his Qi but now it was finally his, and now he moved on to the second last lesson of his training which was "Weapon Training"

He knew how to fight with his hands and soul but he didn't know how to use a sword. This training showed Bruce how to use different materials provided by the environment as weapons. Each and everything around us can be used as a weapon we just need the eye to see it. Bruce learned the use of different weapons in the next six months and then, he was at last on his final lesson which was to spar and defeat his own master in a combat.

Before the battle had begun, Master Yoro Sensay told Bruce that this was it and after training for two and a half years straight, he must now make his master proud by defeating him in the battle to come. The fight begun and Bruce started striking with his iron fists and brick legs but Yoro Sensay was defending himself at the same speed and after every five to six defending movement, he would attack and land his blows. They fought for hours and stopping at nothing. At the end Yoro Sensay hit Bruce with a straight leg on the face and knocked him down. He thought that Bruce would end the fight but that's not what happened because Bruce got up in a few seconds and held his master in a hold that sent him to sleep after a few moments. When he woke up, he congratulated Bruce on his achievement and told him that he now knew kungfu. They both went back to Beijing and after saying his goodbyes, Bruce set out on another journey.

Chapter 4: Shinobi

"Dear Amanda

Although every nerve in my body trembles of the mere thought of telling you this, but I'm afraid I have no choice. I am leaving Gotham, and when I might return? Even I'm not sure of that. It might be a year or it might be ten.

I cannot bound you to wait for me for such a long period of time and therefore I ask you to move on and perhaps find someone new, who can comfort your life far better than I can. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but try to find it in your heart to forgive me and let me go.

Take Care

Bruce Wayne"

That was the letter Bruce had handed over to Alfred before leaving Gotham city. Although on the outside she remained perfectly calm, but on the inside her heart was shred into tiny pieces. Before leaving Beijing, Bruce came to his master and made a final request which was to keep his training a secret and never to mention him in any records. Yoro Sensay knew why Bruce asked for such a thing and promised him that he will only remain in his master's memory and not on paper. Bruce booked a plane ticket for Tokyo and in about four days took the flight.

On landing in Tokyo, he took a cab and went to Hilton hotel which was again a five star hotel with world class facilities, but Bruce was not on a holiday and for the past two and a half years he had seen no such thing as luxury. The only materials he was provided with were strength, agility and speed. His arms were as hard as steel, his senses as sharp as those of any animal living in the wild and his speed was that of a hurricane. But he believed that he needed to become far more than just a man to beat the criminal mind of Gotham. Bruce didn't care about the facilities provided at the hotel, the only reason he was in Tokyo was because he wanted to learn the famous martial art form of "Shinobi" or as it is known in English "ninja".

He spent days searching for institutes or teachers that might teach him this fighting style but all he got were fake websites and cheap shots posing to be ninja trainers. He started looking for ninja history and found out that ninja was created in two places, both of which were in Japan. One was the Iga clan and the other was the Kōga clan. Both the clans were named after the places they were founded in, which means the Iga was the name of a valley where the Iga clan was found and Kōga was another valley adjacent to Iga and it was where the Kōga clan was found. Further research showed that both these clans had been in constant fights during their time but the Iga clan was known to be of people who fought with honor and for truth, while people from Kōga were criminals, who had no such thing as honor.

Bruce had decided to travel to Iga valley and try to find what remained of the Iga clan. Back then Iga was just a valley, but now it was a province and locating the original valley was a little difficult for Bruce but his life was never easy to start with. So, the next morning he took a flight to the province of Iga and getting out of the airport, he took a cab to the old valley where he thought he would find civilization and a modern society, but he got nothing but an old grassy valley surrounded by mountains which covered it in such a way that the rest of the world seemed shut out.

He asked the locals to give him a place to stay, in return he would give them what most people need, money. Most of the people didn't even let him in for a peak, considering him a stranger and a danger to them. He knocked many doors but as soon they would look at him, they would slam the door in his face. After many rejections, an old woman who was very poor and sick allowed him to stay in her house for 500 yens a week. Her name was Fujiko Yamahiko. Bruce dropped his luggage in a room that she gave him and went to sleep as he was tired and it was getting dark and there was no electricity in that area and people used lanterns instead.

In the middle of the night Bruce woke up due to a sound created by something continuously knocking at the window. He got alert and started walking very slowly, towards the point from where the sound came. Once he got real close, he saw nothing due to the darkness but then he remembered that the old lady had given him a match to light up the room in case he needed to use the bathroom or something. He took out a match stick and lit it up, but when he saw what was on the other side of the glass his body started to tremble as if he had seen a ghost from his dark past. It was a group of bats flying all over the valley. He ran back into his bed and covered his face with his blanket and whispered the following words to himself: "I hate bats. They scare me"

The next morning, he went to a well from where all the villagers used to get water and threw his bucket in to it, while holding on to the rope with which it was tied. He was drawing the bucket of water out of the well when, he felt as if he was being watched. Moving very slowly he looked around and found no one else except himself. But then he started studying the mountains and there it was, a man covered from head to foot in black hiding in the shadows of the caves that the mountain provided. A normal man would've missed him but for someone who had spent the last two and half years under training, it wasn't that hard. Bruce pretended as if he didn't even see the man and went back in the direction from where he came.

Our silent crow, hiding on the mountain thought that the new comer was now gone and so he started running towards a small cave in the largest mountain present in the valley. Once he got at the entrance, he looked around for any followers but being satisfied that he was alone, went through the small entrance and came to the huge hall like room on the other side. Inside was where the Iga clan still existed.

Bruce was following the man all along, when he believed that he was out of the crow's sight, he took another path behind him and very carefully followed him into the cave. Once he came inside, he thought he could gather some information first and then let all those who resided within know about his existence. But he forgot that he had entered the layer of the invisible, for it was him who was trapped and they already knew of his existence. He had barely taken five steps when a punch went straight across his face and he was knocked to the ground. When he had entered the cave it was fully lit with lanterns, but now all the lights were blown away.

He stood up and he knew how to fight without eyes. Yoro Sensay had taught him well. Another punch was thrown in his direction which he blocked and gave the unknown opponent a reversal, but surprisingly for him that reversal was again reversed and he was again on the ground. He was attacked over and over again but only landed some light blows, nothing else. When he thought that it was never going to end, all the rubble and the attacks stopped and the room was again lit with lanterns. The light showed him the large size of the room which he had noticed earlier. He also noticed the paths to many other rooms and the three thousand men all covered in black from head to foot except for the eyes standing right in front of him.

One of them said something in Japanese to which Bruce replied "I don't speak Japanese" Then one of them said in English "Who are you? And why do you come to this land? What is your purpose here?" Bruce replied "My name is Bruce Wayne. I have journeyed from afar to learn the knowledge of the martial art style known in Japanese as Shinobi and in English as ninja. My researches have led me to this land and I swear that my intensions are nothing but pure good." The other man then said" Why should you be provided with this talent? How do we know you're not a spy from the Kōga clan? We know your name but not all about you."

Bruce slowly stepped forward and said to the man he was addressing "If you wish to know about me, I will tell you but, will you then grant me with the training of a Shinobi?" The man replied "If we find that all you're telling us is the truth and that your intensions are not evil then yes, you would become what you asked for. You may tell all of us about yourself as there is no secretary among us and only a few understand your foreign language."

Then Bruce told them the whole story and it was in such clear words and with such honest expressions that they knew he wasn't lying. After all that Bruce had to say, the masked speaker came forward and said "My name is Aito Akashi and let me ask you Mr. Wayne, do you really wish to become a Shinobi?" When Bruce replied positively, Aito struck him the stomach with the four fingers of his left hand and made him bleed. Bruce was strong due to his kungfu training but this blow made him so weak that he couldn't even stand and fell on his knees. Aito said "From the story that you've told us I have concluded the fact that you fear bats. Tonight you will be visited by your fear and you must be strong and learn to know no such thing as fear. We will leave you here, and if by morning you are in a standing position and not afraid of your little black friends, then you will become a Shinobi. But if you do not step out of your past fears then I'm afraid you'll have to leave and never return"

They left Bruce and they blew out the lights again. Alone and wounded he lay on the ground with nothing but his memories to give him company. He tried moving but the wound was struck with such accuracy that he couldn't move a muscle. The day passed and night came upon the valley. He hadn't eaten all day and hadn't slept either. He was just lying about, when the horror begun and one after another bats started flying into the cave. He couldn't see them very well but just their existence was enough to make him shiver. He shivered for more than three hours but to his surprise, he wasn't attacked. This gave him courage and now he understood the fact that these creatures only attacked the things that attacked them.

Becoming confident, he dragged his body with the all the force he had into a sitting position. This act also took him an hour and a half. When he reached his sitting position he tried to get on his feet but that seemed impossible. By now he was getting accustomed to the dark atmosphere and the bats. He feared them no more. Now he started remembering the people he had left behind. Alfred, Amanda, the people of Gotham and his parent's graves were what his mind searched for. Then he remembered the incident again, how he became an orphan and how an unknown criminal killed his parents for nothing. He knew that Gotham was hell now and if didn't help that city, it'll be doomed. Then after hours of constant pain he rose like the man his mother always wanted him to be. He was brave, honest and just.

When the sun came up Aito came into the hall and saw that Mr. Wayne was now standing on his feet without any expression of pain or suffering. He smiled and said "Welcome to the layer of the Invisible."

Chapter 5: Dark Times

"Why you leave so soon? You say you stay for week but you go in two days, What about money?" inquired Fujiko Yamahiko after Bruce came back from his night in the layer of the invisible. "Here are your 500 yens and mam I believe I've found what I was looking for. Now I must return to where I came from. Thank you for your hospitality and may God bless you." answered Bruce. He then took his stuff and started walking towards the highest mountain again. Once reaching the cave he entered it and was again greeted by Aito Akashi. He asked Bruce to remove his current clothes and gave him a black ninja suit, known in Japanese as "shinobi shozoko"

Bruce put the suit on and was taken to another room that was adjacent to the main hall in which Bruce had spent his previous night. Aito told Bruce all about the history of the layer of the invisible. Once he was done giving Bruce the grand tour, he told him that the acts that a ninja could perform which were: espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, and open combat in certain situations. He told Bruce that ninja's training was commonly known as ninjutsu. He knew Bruce had a strong body and all he required were the skills. So, he started with training Bruce in the field of espionage or in simple words spying.

To be a good spy one needs to be invisible at all times and ninjas know that there is no such thing as magic, it only a matter of agility and speed. Aito took Bruce to a room that was almost fully lit and only patches of shadows were found in it. He threw something on the ground and with a slight blast, smoke started appearing rapidly. When the smoke cleared out, Aito was nowhere to be seen. Bruce looked all over the room and he couldn't find a clue. Then came a voice from above" Invisible, yes to you I am invisible." Bruce looked up and after looking very closely, he finally saw Aito's eyes. That night he was taken out with a small group and they were all taught the art of invisibility.

Most of them were familiar with this technique, but some weren't. Bruce tried all night but was spotted each time. The shadow only accepts one, when he accepts himself and that is one of the toughest lessons of life. For a month, every night they would practice invisibility and during the day hand to hand combat took place. Bruce had no problem fighting an opponent as long as he was in the light but when the lights went out he was in jeopardy. Yoro Sensay's lessons were world class but invisibility was these people's life. He knew he had to cross the line to achieve what lay beyond his sight. He practiced and he practiced. The lesson was tended for a month but it took him four to achieve absolute accuracy.

Now the next step in espionage was to achieve information or goods without letting anyone know in the area of your presence. Each ninja was given a different task, as information can be obtained from anyone. Bruce was given the task to bring back a bear cub from a cave that was located in the deep center of all the mountains. It was just a test to check his skills and they would return the cub in the morning. That night he started out and he ran over the steep edges with speed and silence. A normal man wouldn't be able to see anything in such dense darkness but Bruce was running like the wind blew, cold and invisible.

In a short period of time, he reached the bear's cave and with caution started walking towards its entrance. Once inside, he couldn't see anything but he could feel the walls and he could hear the sounds being made by the mother bear as she slept. Each step he took counted. He had a flash light with him but using it in the wrong direction meant blowing up his cover and failing the task. He took out the light and pointed its face towards the ceiling. He turned it out for just a second and then turned it back off. He had seen the path to his goal and now this cave was like his own room. He reached the cub lying just a little further from the mother and held its mouth with such strength that no sound would escape it.

The cub woke but its whole body was in Bruce's control and just like that Bruce took it back to the layer. He was appreciated and was told that he had finally finished the first part of his training. The rest still remained.

The next part of his training was "Sabotage". It was similar to espionage but rather than gaining information or goods from a certain area, one had to destroy the area itself from within and that too without letting the people know of his existence. Due to his excellence in espionage, sabotage became relatively easy. There was a group of drug dealers just a few miles away from the Iga valley and they were providing the entire country with all sorts of intoxicants.

Bruce was first taught the use of explosives and gun powder to create distractions and explosions. He was a bright young man but still such materials are not a child's play things, so it took him months just understanding the force and power they possessed. After gaining this information he was further provided with small tasks like blowing up a small mountain or creating a diversion in public (using the gun powder) and then disappearing. When they believed he was ready, they gave him another task which was to take out the guards at the dealers meeting building and destroy all the drugs within it.

He had also learnt the use of sleeping darts as it comes in handy when you don't intend to kill someone. He reached the meeting point, and found out that it was small building but with ten guards on the roof and fifteen on ground. These were only the guards present outside the building and he had no idea how many were inside. He used a grappling hook to climb the top of the building adjacent to the dealers' building. Once on top he used his darts to take out the guards on the roof one by one. He then tied them up and threw away their weapons.

But there were still fifteen on the ground and they were not all in one place. For some he used darts while others were victims of his hands. After compiling all fifteen in a single corner he entered the building and located the drugs. He attached time bombs to them and set the time to two minutes. He made his escape through the roof door and before anyone knew a huge explosion blew out and his task was complete. The drugs were the only things that exploded and none of the dealers were harmed.

The next step to becoming a shinobi was "Infiltration". It basically meant to go behind enemy lines and attack the enemy from the back. There was a gang famous for kidnapping the young women of Iga valley and then selling them off in different parts of the world. Time and again these shinobies had tried to finish this gang off but in every encounter some of the members would get away and take a few girls with them. Going behind enemy lines is not something you do every day and so the training for the next level begun.

The layer taught Bruce and a lot of the other members how to attack the enemy from behind, just to startle them so the rest of the group can attack them from the front. It was tough but so were these future shinobies. Bruce paid special attention to all the details and was often the leader of the group. After months of further training, a team was ready to infiltrate any gang or group.

The gang responsible for trafficking women had made a lot of new recruitments and was planning to make a big attack, taking away all the women with them and killing all the men. They knew that the ninjas might try to stop them but they also knew that their numbers were far greater than the ninjas. They prepared their weapons and planned the attack during the darkness of the night. The ninjas were ready too. Bruce took twelve shinobies with him to infiltrate the coming party.

He was told that the gang numbered between 400 to 600 but when he got a sight for himself, he found out that they numbered somewhere between 2500 to 4000. He was a little confused at the moment but he got a hold of himself and gave his men some instructions on how to attack. They divided themselves as they were instructed and on his signal they all attacked which caused panic among the gang members. They started yelling out loud which was the signal for the rest of the shinobi team. They too attacked.

The battle was won before it begun because the ninjas were companions of the dark while their opponents were not. During the battle Bruce realized that all of his ninja companions killed their opponents in battle and he tried to stop them but they were large in numbers. When the sun came up there was blood all over the valley's road and all of the gang members were killed. Bruce was very upset about what happened as he never intended to kill anyone.

When they all got back to the cave Aito congratulated Bruce upon his completion of the infiltration test and was about to grant him his last task when Bruce said" I never intended to kill anyone nor did I expected any of you to do it. I will not assassinate anyone. I have come to love you people but that does not mean I would kill for this layer." Aito was stunned and he tried to convince Bruce but, Bruce's mind was made. "I was responsible for bringing you into the layer and if my life is the cost then so be it."

Bruce asked "What do you mean?" Aito replied "Many ninjas before you had refused to kill people on demand of the layer and then a rule was made that stated that if a shinobi refused to kill someone then he will have to fight another shinobi and kill him in battle or die. There is no other way. You will either kill me today or face death."

Bruce was confused as he didn't want to kill his friend, his teacher, his brother. He said "I can't kill you. I love you as a brother loves another. Isn't there any other way?" Aito bowed his head in disapproval and took out his sword and said "Get ready brother"

Bruce took out his sword as well and the lights of the room were blown away again. Bruce was a little tense but not afraid and his ears were sharp. He could sense any movement and could locate the body from which it came. But Aito was his teacher and had a lot more experience. Aito was the first to attack and in his first blow, he gave Bruce a sharp cut on the lower leg muscle. Bruce was wounded but he countered the attack and gave his brother a straight punch on the nose.

There was again silence. The next attack was by Bruce and it was blocked by Aito's sword. Then started the countless clashes of blades, as they slammed into each other. The hall was silent except for the sounds from the fight. Aito landed many heavy blows on Bruce. Bruce was a good match but surely not a complete one. He tried again and again but was countered. Then with one strong swing of the sword, Aito slashed into Bruce's sword which threw away both their swords. Now they were down to hand to hand combat. As soon as Bruce realized that the swords were gone, he felt relieved and punched Aito across the face.

He took the punch but he grabbed Bruce by the waist and threw him on the ground and climbed on his chest. He started punching Bruce's face like it was a practicing bag. The blood flew from Bruce's mouth on to Aito's face. But then Bruce got hold of his arm and with all his might twisted Aito on the ground. He put the arm in a lock and said "Forgive me brother" and then came a snap and Aito's arm was gone. Bruce then climbed on Aito's chest and got close to his ear and whispered "Why did you do it? Why did you let me win?" Aito replied "Because I knew you couldn't defeat me in a sword fight, which is why I got rid of them, and because I love you too brother. Now do what is asked of you and be the man your mother wanted you to be." Bruce brought Aito in a sitting position and grabbed hold of his neck. With a powerful jerk, it was over.

Bruce stood up with tears in his eyes and looked at his fellow shinobies. They knew, and he knew that now it was time for him to leave. He buried his shinobi brother. He had spent three years training to be a shinobi, and now he was one but it came with at a heavy price.

Chapter 6: Final Training

"Why should I train you? If you want it so bad, why don't you just go to the army?" said the retired Israeli colonel. "Sir, with due respect let me inform you that I went to the army first, but recognizing me as an outsider, they refused to teach me the martial art form of Krav Maga. I know that you will have your price but let me assure you that money is no problem. I can pay any amount." "Any amount? Why do you wish to learn this art from Israel? You could've learnt it in your own country." asked Colonel Adam Nelson. "Well sir, it is in the basic training of the Israeli army, so they must know it better than anyone else. And yes sir any amount."

The colonel set his price and Bruce agreed. He told Bruce "I don't like it when people come late. Be at my door at 6:30 am and then I'll take you to the point where we shall train. Got that?" "Yes sir!" said Bruce while standing straight. Jerusalem was a big city and a beautiful one too. Bruce was staying at Inbal hotel which was nominated as the 4th top hotel in the Middle East by Travelers magazine. Bruce knew that this training was his last, and after it he would return to Gotham and do what he was destined to.

The next morning, he was at the Colonel's door by 6:15am. In a while the colonel came out and said while pointing towards his car "Get in the car and start driving." Bruce did as he was told. They hadn't covered a lot of ground when the colonel started giving him directions. He kept driving the car for an hour or two and then, when they reached a spot where the colonel said "Stop the vehicle here and take out the luggage from the trunk" Bruce silently did as he was told and took the heavy bags out of the trunk and placed them where Colonel Adam had told him to. He was then informed that this was an abundant base of the Israeli army and training Bruce here would cost a lot of money and risk.

"So are you ready Bruce?" "Yes sir, I'm ready." "Then pick up the bags again and follow me." He took Bruce a little further, where some of the old buildings were present. He signaled Bruce to keep following and took him inside one of the building, where they meet with six large men. Each of them had huge muscles which resembled those of a gorilla. They all greeted the colonel in Hebrew. He told Bruce that they'll be helping him train and all of them greeted him as well. They were all serving officers in the army but they were also the colonel's students and respected him just like a father, which was why they were ready to help Bruce train.

The colonel said something to one of them in Hebrew and after listening; he went away and in about five minutes brought back a bench press table. He dropped the table on the ground and opened the bags that Bruce had carried earlier. They contained dumbbells of almost every length and weight. The colonel said to Bruce "You will train here for a year in which I will teach you Krav Maga and use of modern weaponry. Got it?" "Yes sir" replied Bruce. "You will report at my house every day at 6:30am and we will drive here and afterwards we will train till 6:00pm in the evening." He asked Bruce to lie down on the bench and start lifting a specified weight.

The weight lifting was something Bruce had to do every day for at least three hours. It was compulsory throughout the training. In the first four months of his training, Bruce was taught the use of weaponry. First off were guns of all sorts, some of which were the pistols, Tommy guns, Ak47, Shot guns and even the mighty Bazookas. It was a dangerous training but it was quite entertaining, as Bruce became good friends with the colonel and his students. Weaponry also consisted of aircraft weapons but to do that Bruce had to learn to fly an airplane. He was a fast learner and soon the hang of the thing. He was then taught the use of rockets and bombs attached to different sorts of planes.

He was taught the use of grenades and tear gas. Special army gadgets like night vision and oxygen masks were also included. The use of bullet proof wests and heavy armors was something Bruce found not very convenient. He thought that it was a weakling's war if you go in wearing something that protects you so much. He believed that one's own self was his armor. In time, all war fare tactics were taught and he was ready for any sort of challenge. The weight training was showing its colors too, as Bruce had gained a lot of muscular mass in the past four months.

The weaponry training soon came to an end and now Bruce was headed towards the real deal, which was Krav Maga.

Krav Maga is a combination of Muay Thai, Boxing, Savate, Kung Fu and Wrestling. First they started with Muay Thai which mainly taught him the use of his knees and elbows. Each part took him about one and a half month. Krav Maga was basically created to finish the fight as quickly as possible, with the use of counter attacks, targeting attacks to the body's most vulnerable points, such as: the eyes, neck or throat, face, solar plexus, groin, ribs, knee, foot, fingers, etc. Use of maximum effectiveness and efficiency in order to neutralize the opponent as quickly as possible and maintaining awareness of surroundings while dealing with the threat in order to look for escape routes, further attackers, objects that could be used to defend or help attack, and so on.

Muay Thai proved to be very useful, especially when you're an inch away from your opponent as it helps in close nose to nose strikes.

After Muay Thai came boxing, this consisted of the use of only hands in a combat. Although people might think that being a boxer is easy when compared with Kung Fu or Wrestling but it's not. Bruce's arms were already as hard as steel but, this boxing training made them as strong as titanium. He could kill a man with one arm. Boxing taught him the use of only hands which means no legs, no elbows and no holds. He kept lifting weights along this workout which was transforming his boy tremendously.

After boxing came wrestling which had nothing but heavy take downs and grappling. Bruce knew many holds and he was in form to beat anyone, but when you're not allowed to strike, the game becomes tough. The colonel himself and all six of his students showed Bruce every possible way to tackle an opponent in a wrestling match. They were preparing him for a final test which they kept in secret at the moment. The days passed, and he learnt all the different sorts of take downs and holds. The combination of so many martial art techniques was transforming him for just a martial artist to one of the best the world had ever seen or heard of.

Then they taught him "Savate" which is commonly known as French boxing. This art form consists of use of hands and feet only. One cannot use his knees or elbows like in Muay Thai or throws and hold like in wrestling. It was comparatively easy but still it was a new training and so it took its time. Bruce became stronger every day and now, after spending six and a half years away from his city, its people and most of all, his home, Bruce was feeling a rush through his veins and every day in his training felt slow and he was desperate to go back.

After Savate came kung fu but in this field of martial arts Bruce was better than all seven of his teachers and proving to them that he knew this art form, he moved on to the next stage of his training, which was the final test. The colonel asked him to go with the routine and pick him up the next morning.

The next morning Bruce was at the colonel's door by 6:30 am and when the colonel came out they drove to the abundant base as they used to but when they reached the training ground, the colonel asked Bruce to lie down flat on the ground. Bruce did as he was asked to and lied down on his back flat. Then the colonel said something to his six students in Hebrew. They listened with their full attention and then one over another they started laying on Bruce. He was puzzled and with a hard breath asked the colonel what was going on. The colonel said "This is your final test boy. It doesn't matter what you do but you must get them off you. If you do this last task then I believe that you've learnt Krav Maga."

Bruce couldn't breathe but he knew that they were not going to leave by just asking so, he pushed his muscles to their peak to try to lift them up but, they barely moved. Blood was flowing all over his body. His face was red with pressure. He tried punching one of them but again it was no use. Then he tried biting one of them but that didn't affect either. He was helpless. He laid there for hours and soon it started getting dark and they didn't move. Eventually night fell but they didn't leave. He was staring at the sky any the moon was full.

This condition reminded him of the day when his parents were murdered and also the night he had to spend in the dark building behind his school. He thought, he would never get them off of him but then like a beacon of hope he saw a creature yelling out unpleasant echoes, to locate its path in the dark. A creature, which he once feared. It was as dark as the night itself but to him, it was power. Yes it was a bat. All his life seemed to revolve around him and soon he possessed the strength of a hundred men. He forced all his muscles and kept pushing without fearing anything. In about ten seconds they started gaining a little height. As soon as he had an inch between him and the first man that touched him, he hit him in the eye.

This distracted the entire circle and with the use of his teeth and all that he had learnt, he finally stood up to be the man that he wanted to be. When he had left Gotham, he was a seventeen year old boy with almost no muscle and a height of 5 feet and 6 inches. But now he stood a strong man of 23 years and eight months old. He was six feet 2 inches tall in height. His body resembled that of the Greek God Hercules. Every muscle pumped and every sense sharped. By now he was almost invincible.

The colonel came to him and said "Dear boy, you have proved yourself and I hope that you find what you're looking for." They all said their good byes to Bruce. He paid the colonel the amount they had agreed upon and thanked him and his students for all they had done for him. In a few days, he packed his entire luggage and then took a flight back to the city he loved "Gotham".

Chapter 7: Gotham City

"What are we supposed to do sir?" said Deputy James Gordon to police commissioner Harper Dent. "There's nothing we can do. Each and every cop in this city is under his control. Not because we're scared for ourselves, oh no. If we take one step against Rupert Thorne he'll kill the ones we care about. He has this city in his palm. We can take him in but, the policeman responsible for dragging his ass into the jail will suffer the consequences. I understand your feelings Gordon but your young and it's only been three months since you arrived in Gotham city. You'll learn as time passes. You have a family Gordon?" "Yes sir, I got married last year."

The commissioner asked further "How old are you?" "Twenty-six, sir" The commissioner got out of his chair and started staring out of his window, into the dark and hopeless streets of Gotham. Then he took out his sigar and lighted it up. "You're exactly my son's age. He's a bright young man my Harvey. Why, he's the DA here. He has power in his corner, but I fear that his bravery might become the cause of his death. So I stop him from taking any step against Rupert Thorne. You're just like my own son and if I can't risk his life for the sake of justice, I can't risk yours. Go home to your wife. She needs you more than anyone else"

Gordon silently got out of the office and started walking towards the parking area. When he reached his car, he was shocked to find out that his back window was shattered and there laid a paper wrapped around a brick on the back seat. He opened the door and took the brick out. He took off the paper and noticed a message written on it. It said "Beware Gordy we're watchin" He threw the brick away and kept the paper in his pocket. He started driving back to his house. While he was going through the city, he started remembering how he came to Gotham city and what he had done here. He also tried to remember all that he had learnt about the lord of Gotham, Rupert Thorne.

Ever since he was a little boy he wanted to be a police officer and his parents always supported him. His father, Michael Gordon, always taught him to stand up for the right cause and he had learnt his lesson well. He joined the force when he became of the right age and eventually had to leave his parents in New York City and move to where ever he was taken. It was during these times when he found the girl of his dreams, Barbra. They fell in love on first sight and it was only brief after their first meeting that they got married. James was posted to Gotham city nine months later. The couple left believing Gotham to be the start of a new life for them, and yes it was a new life. The life they had before was simple and happy while Gotham was hell. Gordon tried to stop a shop robbery once and the criminals involved in it, read the name on his id.

They got arrested, but were released just an hour later. It was later discovered that they were Thorne's men and he hated it when his people were accused of anything. Rupert Thorne was a fat yet muscular man and he was in his late fifties. He had the largest business empire in the entire state. He always kept two people right next to him which were Danny Brown and Hunura Marato. Danny Brown was a twenty five year old man with a slim body and no sense of humor. He was Thorne's secretary and his own personal humiliation bag. Danny was asked the same thing every day by Rupert which was "Hey Danny! Tell me a joke" To which he would reply in his squeaky trembling voice "Yes sir…. I only know one joke which is about this horse…. whose eating grass in a barn and this… pig just comes up to him and says hey….. buddy why the long face" Rupert would hear this joke and not break a smile. Instead he'd slap Danny had on the face and say "You're the worst clown I have ever seen" Danny would just silently get up and rub the dust off his purple suit which was what he wore every day.

Hunura Marato, on the other hand was a brute from Congo. He was huge and fast at the same time, because he was a master of the famous African martial art form of Kamau Njia. He was Thorne's private body guard. Anywhere Rupert went, he went as well. He would kill without care like an animal. He had killed more than a hundred men just by throwing them off the top floor of Thorne Industry building, half of which were Thorne's own men. He was commonly known as Rupert's bull dog.

Every criminal that resided in Gotham belonged to Rupert. He was the devil and Gotham was his kingdom. No crook could enter or leave Gotham as long he was around. Many tried to escape and were caught. Some of them were drowned while others had to pay a bigger price like the loss of an arm or a leg or an eye. Those who tried entering Gotham without gaining permission were shot on sight. Rupert always kept women around him because he felt the air becoming denser if they weren't. Many of them were prostitutes and many of them were forced into prostitution by his son William.

Rupert hated William and wanted him to stay away at all times so, he gave him an offer which was that if William kept his ugly ass away from Rupert's sight, he could do anything he wanted and no one would stop him. This offer seemed fair to the cursed billionaire and so he took it. William would go to any bar he wanted and drink as much as he desired without paying a cent. While being intoxicated he murdered thousands. He was very well known for his ruthless and cruel nature. Any woman who crossed his path, and he found her attractive would be kidnapped by his men and would be offered to him in his bedroom at night. He would do whatever he wanted with them and if they survived the night they would be sent Rupert Thorne's collection. Many of them were mothers, many were newly married wives and there was a vast majority of virgin girls who weren't even the right age. The husbands, the children and the parents never saw their wives, mothers and daughters again.

Gotham was begging for a savior. Gordon had reached his house. He parked the car and went to the door. He knocked on it and then came a sweet voice from within "Coming dear" She opened the door and he stepped in. She said "I made vegetable soup today, with all those delicious green friends of yours…." She was going to continue when her husband stopped her by grabbing her from the back and brining her closer to himself. It'd been a really rough day and he was in no mood for a chat. He gazed into her eyes and she gazed into his. He smiled that smile and she ran her hand through his brown hair. Then she got a little closer and did what they both knew was to be done. They kissed and they kept on doing it for minutes. After the long session of kisses was over Gordon said "Now let's have that soup"

She set the table for two and they had the soup together. Gordon would often stare at her face, while she was busy eating and realize how lucky he was. He was not very talkative and she was talking all the time which made them a perfect combination. They had their dinner and then while she was washing the dishes, he turned on the television and looked at a couple of boring channels. When she was done she came and sat right next to him on the sofa. They kept watching that boring thing for a while and then went to bed.

The next morning they got up early because it was a work day. James started getting ready and Barbra started to cook his breakfast which was the same every day. It was bread and half fried eggs with a hot cup of coffee. James took a shower, cut his beard, trimmed his mustache and put on his uniform. Then they both went to the table and had their breakfast. After breakfast, he gave her a fast kiss and started walking towards his car. He reached the car and started the engine. While he was reversing it out of the car park zone someone slammed the driver's door with a sledge hammer. Gordon turned around to see who it was, and found out that it was one of the robbers he had arrested three months ago. The man pulled Gordon out of the side window and threw him to the ground. Gordon got up and realized that he had dropped his gun in the car. The man rushed towards him with full speed and power. He tried to aim at Gordon's head but missed because Gordon was quick. He kicked the crook on his left knee and made him drop the hammer. Once he was unable to put any weight on his left leg the crook became unstable and fell on the ground. Gordon got on top of him and punched him twice in the stomach and thrice on the face.

He then hand cuffed the man and dragged him into his car. He took him to the police station and threw him in jail. The guy's name was Duke Fox. He told Gordon that Thorne was pissed at him for catching up that robbery and that once he got out of the cell he would kill James and give his wife away to William Thorne. This pissed Gordon off, but the poor soul had no way out. He was trapped for doing the right thing. At times like these he would often look up to the sky and pray to the almighty God for help. He didn't see any sign of hope. He believed that he not only gotten himself killed but Barbra along with him.

The circle was closing in on him and the light was fading away. Both Gordon and the people of Gotham thought themselves to be trapped with no way out. They were hoping for a miracle to happen because that was the only thing that could save them.

That morning another thing also happened. The phone rang at the Wayne mansion and Alfred Pennywort picked up the phone and said "This is the Wayne mansion. I am Alfred Pennywort speaking, how may I help you." The voice on the other side was of the miracle this city needed and it said "Alfred it's me Bruce." For a second the forty nine year old butler didn't believe his ears and then he spoke "Is it really you master Wayne? Oh my ears have waited years to hear your voice. How are you? And where are you?" "I'm fine Alfred, in fact better than I ever was. I just wanted to call you and inform you that I shall be returning to my city soon. How are you? How's the company? And how's Amanda?"

"Sir your loyal servant is just a bit old, but other than that I'm fine. The company has maintained its status as the second best after Thorne industries under the leadership of Mr. George Plank. As for Madam Amanda, she left the city and went to Washington DC to study law."

"Alfred I am very happy to hear your voice after all these years, and am very excited to return to my home. See you soon then. Bye." "Bye sir"

Chapter 8: The Return

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be pleased to inform you that we have safely landed on Gotham international airport. Hope you enjoyed the flight and thank you for choosing EL AL Israel Airlines." said the captain. Bruce could barely wait. His feet were going off the ground. He wanted Gotham. It took some time, because of the security and baggage claiming but eventually he walked out of that door and into the light of his city. The sun was shining as it had never shone before; there was a light song inside Bruce's head. Alfred was waiting for his master by the car. He was going to shake hands with Bruce but received a big hug instead.

Both of them got into the car, Alfred on the driver's seat and Bruce in the back. Alfred said with a light smile "It's very good to see you sir after all this time. Hope you won't be leaving anytime soon again." Bruce replied "No, I'm not leaving but you are." Alfred was astonished and asked Bruce "Me? Sir, why do you wish to send me away? Haven't I proven myself loyal to you and your family?" Bruce laughed a little and said "Not permanently. Tonight there shall be a party at the mansion and invite all the high officials in the city as well as people from the media. You just send them the invitations and then take the next flight to Baltimore. There I want you to search for a man by the name of Lucius Fox. Find him and bring him to me."

"Sir, before you left Gotham for the second time, you told me not to ask you any question at that moment, but now that you're back, may I ask what do you intend to do? And where have you been all these past years?" "Alfred I've spent the last six and a half years training my body and senses to its peak. I can be invisible at night. I can run faster than many wild animals. I can kill without breaking a sweat. My father spent all his life trying to make this city a better place and he was awarded with a bullet through the heart. The streets of my city are not safe anymore. The people live in fear. I will bring the light that Gotham deserves. Every criminal will be punished according to the law. Never again will a child have to witness, what I witnessed fourteen years ago."

"But sir, this city is now ruled by Mr. Rupert Thorne. If anyone takes a step against him or his men, death follows their beloved ones. If you raise your voice against him, he could harm those close to you such as me or Madam Amanda." "Alfred, I shall cover my identity. No one will know that Bruce Wayne is responsible for peace in Gotham. People of the city will look up to another savior. His name would be unknown and so would be his identity." "And what about Bruce Wayne, sir? How do you want the people to view him?" "People will know me as a wrecked billionaire orphan. Someone with no sense of responsibility. Someone who only cares about himself. Who has sport cars, private jets and female companionship on a very high scale. A playboy with not a worry in the world. Tonight I shall try to convince some of our guests that I am a total screw up."

Alfred drove the car back to the Wayne Mansion. Bruce got out and he had both happiness and sorrow in his heart. Happy because he was home and sad because his parents weren't there. He walked into the main hall and touched each wall. Tears rolled out of his eyes. But he wiped them off and asked Alfred to order a Porsche 918 Spyder. He was rich but had never kept a nice phone along the way so just to show off, he asked one of the house servants to bring him a HTC one, which was at the top phone available at that time. He never wore a watch, but to prove that he cared about materialist things he ordered an Alpina 4 made of white gold. Clothes were something people really notice in a man and he knew that he needed a very expensive suit for the party. He ordered another servant to take his size and get him an Alexander Amosu Suit which was about $110,000 in price. His shoes also needed to sparkle so he ordered a pair from the brand Louis Vuitton. His hair was in place thanks to the colonel.

He gave all the orders and went to his room to get some rest. He lied down on the bed and fell asleep. He woke up at about 5:45 pm. He took a shower and asked one of the servants to bring him his clothes. Alfred had done his part and left for Baltimore. Bruce put on that black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. His shoes sparkled with that new shine. His watch was very noticeable as it was pure white gold on a black suit. The phone was brought as well. He tipped each of his servants more than enough to make them happy. He got out of his room and walked straight into the hall which was ready for the guests' arrival. Then he went towards the front gate to view the mansion from there. It looked magnificent. Then came another servant from inside and said "Sir, your car has arrived." He looked at it, and it was a real beauty. Bruce was sure that his plan today was going to work.

In an hour the guests started pouring in. They were minsters, high judges and lawyers, police commissioner, the DA and a lot more. Every group of guests was seated in an orderly manner and almost each group had a few young females, whose eyes were just waiting to get a glimpse of Bruce Wayne. He wanted attention and that's why he called in the media as well. People from Gotham News, Channel 82, Now News and Current were present as well. They were treated exactly the same way as the rest of the guests.

When everyone was enjoying the party like civilized modern people, Bruce walked in and now all eyes were on him. He took a mike and started saying the following:

"Yo, ladies and gentlemen how's it goin? Yeah I just wanted to say it's good to be back home. Yep, no matter where you go, home is home. And partying here is better than anywhere else. I'm holding in my hand a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne. And now I'm gonna finish all of it." He started drinking and finished the whole thing and then smashed the bottle on the floor. He said in his drunken voice "All of you who believe they can dance please join me." He yelled really loud "Music!" Then came the disco lights and all the young men and women present there joined in. The elders were disappointed as they hoped for another Thomas Wayne but got an imbecile instead. There was wine all over the floor and people were dancing and laughing at the top of their voices.

This was what the media needed. A billionaire orphan. Each channel wanted a great shot of Bruce but was unable to get one because of the crowd around him. Many females asked him to dance but he wanted to prove that he was a proud old dog so he didn't allow them. Then she stepped in with her red hair and that dark lips stick. Them high heel and the tight dress. She got real close to him and said "May I have this dance?" He looked at her from top to bottom and thought that she was the one, who'd look good with him on the news, so he said "Yeah sure" They danced for hours and then Bruce took the party outside and started dancing on the roof of his newly bought car. People thought he was cool until he started pouring alcohol all over it. Everyone stopped laughing and saw how this idiot just lighted his own brand new car on fire. In a few moments there was an explosion and the car was turned to dust.

After that little incident people started leaving one by one. At the end it was just the media, Bruce and his red headed friend. He asked her for her name and she replied Vicki Vale. He had to prove his insanity so he just grabbed her by the head and landed one on her lips. The cameras focused their lights on the two. She didn't resist either but as soon as the kiss was over she said "Hi I'm Vicki Vale from Gotham News and here with us is non-other than billionaire Bruce Wayne. Bruce would you like to say anything to the people of Gotham?" He grabbed her again and landed another one.

She walked through that gate into the empty hall with alcohol all over the floor hoping to find the boy who left her but whom she never stopped loving, the one who showed her love. The only man she ever wanted to be with. But when Amanda's eyes fell upon her long lost lover, her heart was shred into pieces that could never be put back again. He was drunk and in his arms was another. He was laughing and just then his eyes also caught her. He stepped forwards towards her but before he could say a word she started running back towards the gate with tears of blood on her face. She got in her car and drove away. Bruce was fully drunk and didn't totally understood the condition. He grabbed Vicki's hand and led her into his parents' room. His servants cleaned the house and the media team was sent away.

The next morning Bruce woke up to find an unknown woman in his bed and he was wearing nothing but his boxer. He went to the bathroom and took a shower and became decent again. When he came out that girl had a smile on her face and said "Good morning handsome." Bruce replied "Who are you?" She gave a light laugh and said "Looks like someone had a rough night. If you don't remember what happened, you should just turn on the television." Bruce had planned to prove that he was a bad boy but when he turned on the TV, he was all over the news. He saw how he drank too much and then burnt his car. He also saw that he kissed this girl and that she was a reporter of Gotham News. Amanda was also shown in the news and now he understood the whole situation. He was ashamed and didn't knew what to say to Vicki at the current moment. He looked at her with his shy eyes and said "Please get dressed and join me for breakfast on the table."

She got ready and met Bruce on the table where breakfast was served. While they were seated Bruce took the courage and said "I am sorry for any misbehavior I might have done last night. If there's anything I can do for you please don't ever hesitate to ask." "Hahaha Bruce, I had fun last night and yeah there's only one thing you can do for me. Take me on a real date. Don't be ashamed, we had fun last night. I haven't had that much fun in years. You're a really cool guy, at least that's what most of the party people said." "And what about the high officials?" "Yeah they were disappointed but they'll move along. Don't worry."

They ate their breakfast together and even though he broke Amanda's heart last night, he was really enjoying this girl company. She made him happy. They ate together and Bruce ordered one of his servants to drop Miss Vale at her house.

Just before she was about to leave she did two things. Number one was that she gave him her personal number and number two, she gave the conscious minded Bruce Wayne a kiss.

Chapter 9: The Cave

"Sir I seriously doubt that this is the man you were looking for" said Alfred when he returned from Baltimore. He was given a very difficult task to complete. It was to bring back a man whom Bruce had seen a long time ago. While he was searching for this man in the streets of Baltimore, he found many Lucius Foxs but none met the description that Bruce had given. Then he went to Bruce's old school and tried getting some information from there. They told him that Mr. Fox was nothing but a fraud and at first refused to give any information regarding him. Alfred assured them a large fund from the Wayne Enterprises which was a lot more they earned in a year and that became the reason for them to happily giving him the address of the person he was looking for.

He reached the address's destination and found out that Mr. Fox had sold the house years ago and his whereabouts were unknown to the new residents. Alfred got tired and decided to go sit on a bench in a nearby park. He was resting his mind from that entire search when a beggar came to him and asked for a dollar. Alfred gave him fifty cents and got back to his resting. The beggar was just walking away when he came back and said "Forgive my intrusion, but may I ask the reason for the anxiety on your face?" "I am looking for a ghost that probably doesn't even exist anymore." "May I know the name of this ghost of yours?" "His name is Lucius Fox and he lived in that house over there." said Alfred pointing at the house. "Why are you looking for him? Does he own you money?" "Why are you wasting my time? Don't you have somewhere else to go?" "I know where to find this man you're looking for." "You do? Where is he?" said Alfred with a little hope in his eyes.

"But first you must tell me, why are you looking for him?" asked the beggar. Alfred told him "He helped someone I know, and for that everything he had, was taken away from him. We just have a favor to repay." "Then you have found him. I am Professor Lucius Fox." Hearing these words out of his mouth Alfred almost laughed. He thought this man was bluffing. He got up and was leaving when the beggar held his arm and said "Take me to your friend once and I'll prove that I am the man you're looking for. These dirty robes, these long hairs and this disgusting beard are just my outer appearance. I remember the name of that boy, Wayne was it? Yes. You have to take me to him otherwise I will find him myself and when I do you'll be trouble buddy." He was not joking at all. Alfred could see it in his eyes. Although Alfred didn't believed in his story but he took that man with him to Gotham.

When Bruce saw him, it was hard to recollect the physical appearance of his old teacher but once he spoke a few words of knowledge, Bruce understood that he was exactly the man Bruce wanted. "Alfred get Mr. Fox cleaned up and properly shaved, we have work ahead of us." said Bruce. Fox was given a proper haircut and modern French shave. He wanted a little hair on his face. He was allowed to take a bath, was given some new clothes and a night to rest.

The next morning Bruce took both Alfred and Mr. Fox to the south wing which was nothing but grassland and a beautiful river bank. Bruce said "I wish to construct here another part of the original mansion. But there will be something different about this wing. It will have a secret basement underneath. The entrances from the main mansion to the basement shall only be known to the three of us. The basement will also consist of an exit to river." Both Alfred and Mr. Fox were confused here.

Then after a few moments of silence Alfred spoke "Why do you wish to construct this secret basement and what do you intend to put in it?" Bruce gave a slight smile and said "I wish to fight the criminals of Gotham, so for that I require sanctuary from the rest of the world. Bruce Wayne will never be the one who fought for justice and truth. It will be someone people don't know, someone who has no identity. He will reside in this cave. He will hide his weapons, vehicles, disguises and life here." "So what do you want us to do Mr. Wayne?" "Alfred I want you to call up a construction team that will build all that is asked and who will keep our little secret a secret. Mr. Fox I want you to design a suit for me which might help me fight in the dark and is easy to use. I also want you to design a vehicle that could be a car, a plane, a boat and a submarine at the same time. Can you do what I just asked?" "Yes I can Mr. Wayne but this might take a few months." "I know it would, but that's why you better get started now."

In a few days Alfred brought laborers from all over the planet to start the construction of the south wing. The outer appearance of the place was kept classy and it consisted of all the expensive materials that would make Bruce look like a playboy. The bedroom with world class beds and the living rooms with a book rack that consisted of different books brought in from the library in the old part of the mansion. A garage was constructed which had the parking space of fifteen cars at a time. Each room consisted of a secret entrance to the basement, or as Bruce liked to call it "The Cave".

The construction of the cave was difficult, as all the bats that once lived upon the trees along the river bank now found an entrance into the dark cave, which proved to be the perfect nesting ground for them. The workers were scared of these creatures but they stood and did their job. The cave was constructed with a lot of care. It was totally concealed from the outside and was impossible to locate as the river side exit door was covered with mud which made it look like a part of the bank.

Mr. Fox worked day and night to design a vehicle that could do all that Bruce had asked and would be bullet proof as well as equipped with weapons. It was a hard job but he was getting well paid and taken care of. These past fourteen years had been hard on the man and this was the only place where he was being valued. He put all his time and effort in bring together that vehicle and as hard work does pay off, so it did. In four months' time his vehicle was ready. He was a hundred percent sure that it would work. He tested it himself first and found out some of the defects. He resolved the defects and gave it another shot and yes, it was in perfect working condition.

He taught Bruce how to drive the thing and Bruce learnt very fast, all due to the trainings he had done in the past. Then came next Mr. Fox's next assignment, which was to create a combat suit for Bruce. He started working on the design and was not getting a tick on the spot. He tried but kept on failing. One day he was in the cave still thinking about the design when Bruce came in and offered him a cup of coffee. He relaxed his mind a little and asked Bruce about his life. Bruce couldn't possibly keep secrets from him so he told him the whole story. "So you had a fear of bats and then eventually it became your favorite animal?" "Yeah, it took a life time to do that" "Ahhh I see. Very well then now I must get back to work."

He had it in his mind now. He designed a suit that resembled a bat. The suit consisted of a dark grey leather body tight (which was from the neck to feet), black leather gloves and boots, a yellow metallic belt around the waist, black titanium plates broken into multiple pieces of armor over the flexible bodysuit, button on the right shoulder which if pressed releases a black cape and a mask with cut out spaces for the eyes and the mouth and which had ears standing straight up slightly over the head. The suit also had a bat sign on the center of the chest. Each thing in this suit was going to be useful in a fight.

The tight and flexible bodysuit would make the movements comfortable. The gloves would give a good grip on anything that is held. The boots would give grip over the ground on which he would stand. The belt would be a safe place to keep weapons. The armor would protect him from heavy injuries. The cape would help him glide from tall buildings and conceal himself in the dark. The mask would protect his identity.

The suit was shown to Bruce and he really liked it. He tried it on and felt power move through his soul. It made him feel like another man. He had been busy these past months himself. He used to train during the day and at night go to different clubs and pretend to enjoy. As promised he took Miss Vicki Vale on several dates. Although he was dating her because he really liked her but he also had another motive involving her, and that was for her to spread the word about Bruce being a billionaire playboy. This time with her, really brought them close and she became the reason of his smiles.

Bruce didn't understand it perfectly but this girl had slowly stolen his heart. The way she talked, the way she walked, her being funny all the time and her never ending beauty penetrated his heart like never before. She even stayed at the mansion with him for a month and he didn't mind. She had to leave because of some family problems otherwise Bruce was happy having her around.

He lifted his weights daily for three hours as instructed by the colonel. He practiced all the aspects of the shinobi when night fell and remembered his kungfu like it was yesterday. His personal life never came between his major goals and now he was ready to finally jump into the streets of Gotham. Sometimes he would think about Amanda and the time he spent with her and to think he broke her heart would just crush his soul. He had tried contacting her but she refused to communicate with him in any way. Eventually he understood that she needed her space.

His father had worked hard to make that city a better place and now he was ready to take his place. He was ready to be the city's savior, its defender, its guardian.

Chapter 10: Vigilante

"Is that all you need?" said the store man. "Let's see, a dozen eggs, sugar, bread and bacon. Yes, that's it. My wife's gonna be pretty happy to see this. How much?" replied Gordon. "That'll be forty five dollars and twenty five cents. But you know you shouldn't be out here at this hour. It's not safe. Crooks crawl all over the city and after that stunt of yours months ago, they'll be looking for you" "Listen buddy, death will come when it has to and no one can change that, but as long as I'm alive, I'm not going down hiding" said James as he paid the money and left the store.

He was slowly walking to his car when…. SMASH! A glass bottle was smashed on the back of his head and knocked him to the ground. The groceries bag fell on the road and Gordon was having a hard time looking around as blood flew from his head which made his vision blur. "Wakey wakey Gordy" were the words that Gordon heard when a kick hit him right across the face. Then there came five to six more people. Each of them was holding a weapon such as a baseball bat or an iron shackle. All of them started kicking him and he couldn't even defend himself. It was 9:00 pm and there wasn't a soul who could help him. "Ok stop" said the leader as he came closer to Gordon. "Remember me Gordy? I'm the guy who smashed your car with a hammer. Yeah it's your old buddy Duke" said Duke as he spat on Gordon's face. He hit Gordon with a baseball bat real hard and knocked him unconscious.

Then came silence for a few moments which was broken by one of the gang members as he said "Well, what now boss? Should we kill em?" Duke took a great look at Gordon's wounded body and said with a crippled smile "Nah let's just leave this bastard here to die out in the cold. That outta teach his police people a lesson not to mess with Thorne's men" "But boss I think we should kill the guy. What if he survives and comes to take revenge on us?" said the previous member. Duke punched that man in the stomach and yelled "No! We do what I just said and if any of you doesn't like it he can tell me now!"

"I seriously don't like your idea" were the last words that those people heard before the lights in that street went off and one of their men was screaming with pain. There was a sudden panic and then one by one all the men started to shut up. Eventually Duke realized that he was the only one left. The lights then turned back on. Gordon's body was still on the ground but none of Duke's gang members were seen. He too was scared. He wished he had his mother with him. "Are you afraid?" the sound came from one side of the street. But when Duke turned in that direction, he saw that the whole place was vacant. "You prey upon those weaker than you. How does it feel to be the victim for once? To be hunted down? To be killed pitilessly?"

Duke couldn't understand what and where this creature was. He was going pale. His heart pumped faster than that of a pigeon. Every nerve in his body was alert. With all the courage that he had, he finally broke some words which were "Why don't you come out and show your face you coward?" "Your wish is my command" said the mysterious savior in his heavy balanced voice. Then out of nowhere someone grabbed Duke's right leg and started dragging him in the opposite direction. He screamed and fought but iron fists covered his face and stone knees were in his gut. He was lifted with one arm and hurled as if he was a pebble. Before he could get up and look at the devil that was responsible for all that was happening, he was caught in a sleeper hold and eventually fell unconscious.

Our hero dragged his body and tied him around a pole with the rest of his gang. He then lifted Gordon up and put him in his vehicle. He started the engine and after just five to ten seconds flew over the entire city to Gotham hospital, on whose main door he left the wounded police officer. When he was putting the man down on the ground a guard saw him and said "Hey what are you doing there?" He heard the sound and with tremendous speed drove away. The guard took the officer inside and got him admitted.

Bruce spent the entire night climbing high buildings, jumping over roof tops and yeah fighting criminals. He sent fear into their hearts. They trembled once they became aware of his existence. He defeated more that ten gangs in one night and had the stamina to take down more but unfortunately for him, the night only lasts a few hours. When the sun was about to rise he jumped into his vehicle and drove it into the sea. From the sea he travelled back to the river that lied behind Wayne Mansion. And from the river he came back to his cave.

Alfred was waiting for him there. He shut down the engine and stepped out. "Alfred clean up the suit, make sure the vehicle is not damaged and get me a nice cup of coffee." He barely had a scratch on him. He took a shower, put on his sleeping suit, drank the coffee and went to sleep.

"Sir you must get up, its 12:30 in the afternoon. Besides you're all over the news." said Alfred. Bruce got up and turned on the television. "Hi, I'm Ken Davis from Gotham News and here is where the news happens. Last night our city was moved by this so called vigilante as he rounded up more than eight gangs and handed them over to our own Gotham Pd. He was spotted at various points by various people, first of whom is a night guard at Gotham hospital. Taking you live to him with our very own reporter Miss Vicki Vale." The camera was now focused on Vicki as she interviewed the night guard. "Hi, Gotham News this is Vicki Vale here with the hospital's guard Mr. John Patrick. Mr. Patrick would you like to tell us what exactly happened here last night?" Patrick was pretty excited to be on television and he spoke with a slight smile "Yes, Miss Vale. I was on duty here last night and was circling the place as usual when I saw someone just in front of the main door. He was holding someone else and then he just gently put the body on the floor. When I tried to stop him by yelling, this guy just turned his face at me for a second and then he ran away in his super car." Vicki further asked "Would you mind telling us what he looked like?" "Ummm… he was wearing a black cape, had a helmet on his head with big ears and a pair of black boots. He kinda looked like a vampire or a giant bat. I'm only sayin it because he moved really fast."

The camera now turned back towards Vicki and she said "Well there you go Gotham city. We have a vigilante in this town. Someone who seems to fight for good but only time will tell whether he is a friend or a foe. Back to you Ken." The news just kept pouring in from every direction. Interviews of different people described him as different personality. Some said that he could fly, while others just called him a coward for wearing a mask. Views just kept on coming but Bruce had more important things to do then listen to people of Gotham.

He had taken a photo of the wounded man he saved last night. He showed it to Alfred and asked "Do you know him?" Alfred took a nice look and replied "Yes sir, he is a police officer who tried to stop a robbery and succeeded. But his success came with a price as the criminals involved in that robbery were Rupert Thorne's men and he doesn't like it when people step against him. So this man was constantly being tortured by the same men you fought last night. This was all over the news before you came back to Gotham."

Bruce looked at Gordon's face in the picture and said "Then I believe our dark friend must pay him a visit tonight. We need a man like him. Someone with information, someone who can risk it for the sake of justice or in other words someone like me. I will pay him a visit tonight and then I shall get back to dealing with Gotham's criminals" "As you wish sir, but may I remind you that Miss Vale called and she wanted to drop by tonight." "Tell Vicki to meet me tomorrow morning, I've got a business meeting tonight"

Her tears fell all over his face. His hand went through her hair and he said "Come on Barb don't make me cry too. Look I'm in a hospital not dead. It'll take a lot more than just a few thugs to bring your man down. I'm fine honey. Please don't cry." She hugged him and he didn't say a word although it hurt. She said "Promise me that you'll be okay. Let me know that I'll never lose you, ever. Oh James I can't live without you." "I'll be fine Barbra and I'll be home before you know it."

The doctor came in and said that James had a problem. Both of the listeners got worried. "What is it, doctor?" asked Barbra. "Well Mrs. Gordon your husband's eyesight has been slightly damaged due to loss of blood and some major strikes on the face" replied the doctor. "What's that supposed to mean?" asked Gordon. "It means you might need a pair of glasses for the rest of your life. Now Mrs. Gordon visiting hours are almost over. I suggest you say your goodbyes and come back in the morning."

She did as she was told. She gave her man a quick kiss and told him that she'll come by tomorrow. The lights were turned off and Gordon closed his eyes, trying to get a good night sleep. Suddenly he felt as if he heard something and started looking around himself. But due to the darkness and silence he felt as if he was dreaming. He lied down in the perfect sleeping position and closed his eyes when someone said "Comfy are we?" Gordon wanted to yell and call for help when his mouth was grabbed by iron finger. "Listen to me James; I'm not your enemy. You might even say I'm the only friend you have at the moment. I'm the masked vigilante who saved you. I want to talk to you but you must tell me you're willing to have a conversation."

James Gordon was paralyzed with fear but after hearing what the unknown stranger had to say, he pointed his right thumb up as a signal of his approval. He was let go and the vigilante came face to face with him. "Who are you? And what do you want from me?" asked Gordon with a little confidence. "I'm someone who wants peace in this city. I know it's filled with crooks at every corner and that my path is not an easy one, but if you help me, we can bring harmony here. We can help Gotham achieve the state it once had" replied the masked man in his heavy yet balanced voice. "How can I help you? I'm just a man with a simple life. People tried to kill me and I couldn't even defend myself. How in God's name can I be helpful to you?" "You stood up against those thugs when no one else would and you are part of Gotham Pd which means you'll have access to criminal records. It's not your physical strength that I require. It's your resources and your ability to stand against what's wrong. Now answer me in a single word, would you help me?"

James took a moment to think about all that had happened. He thought about Barbra and his life. The decision was difficult to make as it could get him in a worse situation. This whole thing was just too much too handle already and he was about to say no when, the image of his father came into his mind. He was supposed to be good and he hadn't done all that training to hide when times got rough. So he looked his masked friend straight in the eyes and said "Yes"

Chapter 11: The War

"Who the hell is he? I want to know now!" yelled Rupert at Danny as they were standing in Thorne's office which was present on the top floor of the Thorne Industry building. His eyes were red and the steam of fiery hell came out his ears and nostrils. It was very hard for him to believe that one man put tons of his men behind bars overnight. Rupert kept walking in circles with his fists tightened up to their maximum limit. He looked at Danny and said in a horrifying yet curious tone "Well Danny? I asked you a question God damn it! ANSWER ME!" Danny swallowed the thick saliva in his mouth and said in his squeaky trembling voice "Sir…. Ummm ….. we have no…. knowledge of this figure. In fact no one does. Even the police have no leads on this guy."

The door opened and in came Linda, who was a waitress, a cleaner and a forced prostitute. In other words she was whatever Rupert wanted her to be. She was a mother of three children and a wife of a loving husband but she was captured by William three years ago and she hadn't seen her family since. As she came in Rupert saw that she was holding a champagne bottle. "Why did you come in so late I asked for that bottle five minutes ago?" roared Thorne in his thunder like voice. "I'm very sorry sir. I was just looking for the one you take when you're upset." "Upset! How dare you use such a word for me? You filthy whore, don't you know you're place here?" She was almost about to cry when Rupert signaled her to come closer to him. She knew she had no choice and so she did what he asked for. When she was within his hand's reach, he took the bottle and started staring at it. He turned the bottle upside down and looked at it from every angle. Both Danny and Linda were confused about what he was doing.

Then without a single warning, he smashed the bottle on Linda's face and she fell to the ground. Tears rolled down her beautiful red cheeks. Thorne then grabbed her by her pure black hair and pulled her into a standing position and said "Ohhhh are you upset? Don't worry, Danny here will make you laugh. Come on Danny tell us a joke." Danny was scared out of his pants and could barely move a muscle. But he knew that any delay in Thorne's demand could result in severe punishment so he told his regular horse and pig joke which made no one in the room even smile. Thorne heard the joke and released Linda's hair. He then walked up to Danny and punched him on the nose as hard as possible. "You're the worst clown I've ever seen. Now get up!" Danny got up on his feet and cleaned the blood flowing out his nose. Thorne grabbed him by the neck and brought him closer and said "Take as much men as you like but in the next six months I want this black caped lunatic's head on my desk. Do you hear me?" "Yes sir" were the only words that Danny spoke before he was pushed out the office and then the door was locked.

Rupert rushed towards Linda and starting kissing her. His lust for power and women would never end and as his hands moved up her body, she knew she couldn't resist but she prayed with all her heart that the masked vigilante would never be caught and that he would crush this demon feasting upon her.

In the next months to come, Gotham was a battle field. Every night Danny would order hundreds of men to find and kill the one man, who was dressed in black and grey. But the vigilante's speed and agility was too good. He was faster than them. His weapons were better than theirs and he would attack them one group at a time. At times he was invisible while others he would be in plain sight but still untouchable. For the first two months, Danny faced nothing but utter failure. Every night his men would go out in the streets and they would face problems like the lights going out in the entire area and tear gas being spread throughout the streets, which would kind of make them blind. But for our night guard of the city it was the perfect pitch to play ball. They lost every battle even before it started.

The people were becoming aware of the fights going on and so to help their savior, they made sure to stay indoors after dark so that he doesn't confuses friends with enemies. The police also became aware of these activities and at first they tried to stay out of it but by the end of the first month of fighting, Gordon and a few other guys started taking charge as well. This gave the entire police department encouragement and by the end of the second month all of them were on the job.

The third month was different and difficult because when Danny saw that the men they had here in Gotham, were large in quantity but their fighting experiences were nothing like their opponent. So he asked Thorne to call in the best criminals from all over the world and then it happened. Our hero faced people who were masters of different martial arts techniques and who were specialized in the use of armed weapons such as guns, arrows etc.

Bruce received many lessons from each fight but they came with a price and that price was heavy wounds and bruises. These people caused him to fall a hundred times but he kept getting back up and showed them to whom Gotham actually belonged. Danny had seen that although the vigilante was being injured from time to time yet he was still winning. He was afraid that someday this man would come and claim over Thorne's throne which would mean Danny being on the road. So he came up with a plan which was to record each and every battle that this man fought on disc.

It worked but it was extremely difficult as he had to make his videos from old houses' shattered windows and from the gutter hole of Gotham sewers. In simple language he had to walk through shit to get glimpse of the vigilante in action. He knew that these recordings would result in his survival otherwise if by the end of the six months he had nothing for Thorne, it would be his own head instead of the vigilante's. At times, he also liked the vigilante defeating Thorne's people because he was humiliated every day by Rupert and his son. He hated being hit for telling the joke and he really hated being called a clown. But unfortunately he had no choice but to work for Thorne. Quitting the job meant suicide.

By the start of the forth month Bruce had learned a lot of lessons and now all those professional criminals seemed easy to him. He was becoming stronger with every battle. It was very hard to keep his identity a secret. He had to get up by 1 pm in the afternoon and take his bath, go out to the city or the office, keep his relationship with Vicki strong and train when time was awarded. It was a very hectic routine but by now he was getting used to it. Many times he returned home with injuries and scars all over his body. Alfred was an expert in stitching wounds and these constant injuries gave him a good chance to stay in practice.

To prove that these injuries were not results of fights, Bruce started horse riding, car racing and acting like a drunk most of the time. People though he was a billionaire idiot, with a good luck. Although time was rough yet Bruce felt fulfilled as he was finally doing what he trained for all those past years. He kept it together and by the end of the forth month he was fully aware of all the tactics that the criminal mind could use.

Rupert had seen that Danny was not winning. He knew that he had no choice but to send in his best men. His mind was in constant pressure as this was the first time he was facing defeat and that too at the hands of one man. He hand an army of personal guards of whom Hunura was the leader. They were a hundred in total number among which eighty were light fighters and twenty were top class. Hunura was number one. Rupert hoped that his eighty men army would be enough for the vigilante. Although they were light compared to the top twenty but they were faster and stronger than all the criminals which were called up from around the world.

So in the fifth month Rupert took the charge in his own hand and guided his army into the city's different location. When Bruce reached the area he was hoping for a normal fight as he had been doing for the last four months but to his surprise these men attacked as one body. They all attacked with shurikens and arrows some of which were dogged by Bruce while others were blocked by his armor. However some actually cut him and proved that these men were not to be taken lightly. While he was busy running away from them, one of them rushed behind him and with a forceful jump grabbed him by the waist and took him to the ground.

Bruce knew that this was the time to act fast so put all his strength in his right hand inserted his four fingers into the man's abdomen. Bruce knew what kind of pain it would inflict on him and as he cried with pain Bruce got on to his feet and kept running. He barely made it to his vehicle and just got into it and ran away from the fight. When he reached home he was startled because these men were the strongest enemies he had faced so far. He told Alfred all about his little encounter. He spent the entire next day thinking about a weakness that they might hold. After several hours of thinking, he still had no solution to this problem. As he walked into the south wing's library and down a secret path into the cave, he looked towards the ceiling of the cave and saw groups of bats joined together and that was the moment he understood how he could defeat them.

He had to fight one man at a time which meant taking him away from the actual battle field. That night he flew all over the city and when he caught sight of them, he stopped his vehicle on a roof top and stepped out. He used a firework to get their attention. When they saw the fire work they rushed towards it but on reaching the location they found that it was vacant. They didn't understand the meaning of this trick but on concentrating hard enough, they found out that one of them was missing. He was dragged away from the group and beaten to unconsciousness.

Bruce knew that this plan would work but it was hard. Some nights they fought back and he returned home wounded while other he took one of them away just in the naked time. By the end of the fifth month Thorne's army was behind bars. The police was back on their feet and now criminals were afraid to do something stupid when night fell. The entire army was very hard to beat but it was done. Thorne was beaten and he knew it. Gotham was finally safe.

Chapter 12: The Murder

"What's our status? Where do we stand on the vigilante case?" asked Rupert as he sat in his office with his head in his hands. For the first time in his life he was seeing failure in the face. He saw no hope of light that would guide him out of this situation. But failure made him angry and since his question was not answered yet, he raised his head and looked at the man he asked the question from. It was Danny in his regular purple suit. He was shivering with fear which was why he didn't answer. Thorne was in no mood to ask again so he got up and walked across the room to the where Danny was standing.

He landed a right hook on the man's face. Danny fell to the ground. He tried to get up but could not because of the constant kicks that were being forced all over his body. He was being sworn at, dragged by his hair and punched in the face as if he had no life. The last position of the beating was Rupert climbing on top his chest and punching him with both his fists without any shred of mercy. He was angry and Danny was the one, he was taking it out on. Danny was crying out loud and his mouth was full of blood. Why was this, his fate? What had he done to deserve this?

Suddenly the door opened and stepped in the man Rupert least expected to see. It was his son, William. Rupert left Danny on the floor and turned around. His hands were filled with blood but his anger was a little relieved. Without doing anything else he said "Why are you here you little pimp? I thought I told you to stay out of my sight. You know how much I hate seeing your ugly ass. Why in hell's name are you here!" "Dearest father, if you remember, you would know that I also have no pleasure in seeing your face but I think you forgot our deal. The deal was that I stay away from you as long as I can do anything in the city and no one will bother me. But it seems that you can't keep up your half of the deal."

Thorne's anger was back and he screamed "What the hell do you mean!?" "Your men are constantly being beaten by this vigilante character and you seem to be helpless in this situation. Who do you think he is father? A normal man with a dream to save Gotham? No! I think he was called to Gotham to beat you. His only goal is to defeat you. No one cares about the world father, at least not in today's world" Rupert actually bought it. His anger changed into utter rage. William stepped forward and said "Think father think, who would hate you so much and have the resources to bring such a man here?"

Both of them starting thinking on the subject and after hours of setting eyes on the past, William clapped both his hands together. Rupert asked "Have you figured it out?" "Yes father, indeed I have. Do you remember a few months ago the DA gave a few bad comments about you in public and then you threatened his father, the police commissioner?" "Yes, so what does that mean?" "Father, Harper only has two people in his life who are his son and his wife. You threatened his son and he tried all his contacts to get his best man out, which is our current vigilante."

In a normal situation Rupert would've ignored all that but he was desperate at the moment and without a single doubt, believed all that William told him. William was asked to throw Danny out of the room and so he did. Once they were alone, they started working on different plans and after hours of their father son bonding they finally came up with a plan that was crazy enough to work.

It is often said that when a good man is about to die, he has a certain glow on his face that proves he is a martyr. Commissioner Dent got up from his desk seat at about 8:30 pm. He was happy for some reason, what it was he didn't even know himself. He walked out of his office which was on the second floor of the building. Each and every cop who looked at him was amazed to see the commissioner smile. Some even asked him about it and he just said "I don't know" He stepped out of the police station which was at the north-west side of the city.

He walked over to his car in the parking lot, and was reaching for his keys when somebody grabbed his mouth from behind and started dragging him real fast. The commissioner tried to fight back but he was a brave yet old man. That certain unknown person dragged him into another car and told his partner in the car to go. He was wearing a mask and he punched Harper unconscious. He took out his phone and called someone else and said "Now!" At the same moment a huge blast was observed at a factory which was present at the south-east corner of the city. All police on duty were called at that spot and no one even noticed that the commissioner was missing because his car was also taken by another crook.

Bruce was in his suit, waiting for something to happen. Once he heard that there was trouble at the south-east corner. He rushed in his super vehicle to that point and on reaching he discovered that there was a huge fire and people were stuck in it. He pushed the button on his shoulder to release his cape. That cape was fire proof. He jumped into the fire and one by one started helping people out of that living hell. Their lives were much more important than catching the thugs who started the fire. The fire brigade unit was also present but the fire had spread to a great distance and they needed everyman they had. Bruce was trying to be one of the helpers.

While he was busy helping save people from the fire, Miss Vicky Vale had also heard the news and was not gonna let this story get out of her hands. So, she put on her jeans, regular shirt, long coat and high heels. Her apartment was on the ground floor of the building which was located at the extreme north of the city. She got out and was rushing towards her car when she thought that she heard something in the alley. She slowly walked towards the alley and heard another sound which came from the end of that curved alley. She kept walking but while doing so she also took out her cell phone and started making a video of all that was happening. The sound was like something was hitting someone. When she got close and saw the scene, she hurriedly hid behind a trash can.

It was the commissioner and the one who was responsible for all that noise was none other than the city's personal devil and his son. William was punching the old man and Rupert was saying the following "Well, well, well Mr. Dent. How does it feel to be a part of the losing party? Do you feel angry or depressed? Let me tell you that's exactly how I've been feeling the last five months because of you!" "What do you mean? I didn't do anything. Why I even stopped my son from doing anything" "Shut up you old fool! I know that this vigilante is your agent and killing you means smoking him out of his hole." "I don't even know him. Why are you doing this?" Rupert kicked Harper on the face and yelled "You're laying you old shit! Do you think I'm an idiot?!" He grabbed the man and started punching him with every drop of force in his body.

Vicky was videotaping all of it but she was too scared to even think of dialing 911 at the moment. It was as if her heart stopped beating. The horror was not just the commissioner being tortured but also the fact of what will happen to her if she was exposed. She wished so badly to be at the Wayne Mansion where she would be safe in Bruce's arms. His smile, his hair, his speech and his affectionate attitude towards her was all she wanted at the moment. She saw how Rupert brutally abused his power on that poor old man but her confused mind wasn't in its proper place.

After minutes of brutal contacts Rupert stopped and asked him "Is the vigilante your agent or not? Don't lie or I'll have to release Hunura on you" The commissioner could barely move but he motioned Thorne to come forward so that he may tell him the truth. As Rupert brought his face closer, Harper Dent spat all the blood in his mouth on the bastard's face. It was his last answer and all Rupert understood was the fact that his son was telling the truth. He asked his men to pour gasoline on the man's entire body. They did as they were told and just as soon as they were done, Thorne lit a match and threw it on the commissioner's body. The fire burnt him and he started crying out in pain but everybody around him was laughing. He tried to lay down and rolling over but that didn't work either.

Eventually after minutes of burning the commissioner had his last breath and his soul faded away to a place where there was no harm and no pain. Where angels greeted him and he found his body young again. He was happy but down where he was burnt Vicky had all that on her phone. Suddenly she thought that this was important information and that it should be with someone even if she dies. She emailed the whole video to Bruce.

Rupert asked his men to throw the commissioner's body into the sea as he rubbed his face with both his hands. He was happy to achieve victory after such a long period of time and he was about to walk back to his car when he heard something in the alley move. He got suspicious and started walking towards the point from where the sound came and he was just about to reach it when, Vicky made a run for it. He yelled out to his men to leave the body and get the girl. They heard and they ran after her.

Heart was pumping, legs hurting and adrenalin jumping throughout the body was what Vicky was experiencing. She was running as fast as possible in high heels but unfortunately for her it wasn't fast enough. They were gaining up on her. She stopped for just a second and took off her shoes and started running again. After running for five minutes straight she saw an old church and ran into it to hide. The men after her also entered but now she was not in her sight. William was with them and his eyes were running in every direction like those of a hawk. He asked his men to spread out. They all spread out and were looking for her but found no sign of her. After minutes of searching the church they found nothing and lost hope so William asked them to move out with a slight cruel smile on his face.

When Vicky heard those last words her heart came to a rest and she reached out for her phone but couldn't find it. She thought she must've dropped it in the alley and so she slowly started walking towards the door through which she had entered. When she reached the door she put her ear next to it to make sure there was no one outside. After listening for five minutes she finally built up her courage and opened the door. When she stepped out, she took a deep breath in and exhaled with a smile but as she took one more step a rough hand covered her mouth and she couldn't even scream. It was William and he said in his low yet irritating tone "My sweet baby, you though you could out run me? Well that's new because I don't remember giving you permission for that" She tried to resist a little but he held her tight and this time in a slightly high tone said "You will die tonight princess but before that you will please me in my lonely bed as many before you have. After I'm done with you my father will decide how to kill you. I actually don't like him but when it comes down to brutal ideas he's a genius"

She was dragged into his car and the car was driven away. Her phone was left on the corner of alley's entrance and it just gave out a beep. A message also appeared on the screen which said "Sent"

Chapter 13: Final Battle Part 1

"Help me!... Please, somebody help!" cried little Lilly in her burning home. Her parents had fallen unconscious due to the heavy smoke and had hidden her in the kitchen with the exhaust fan turned on. They knew that there wasn't going to be enough air for all three of them so they sacrificed their own for her. The door was shut with fire and the windows were too high to jump. Lilly's heart was pumping with the speed of light. She was trembling with fear. She knew that she was dead. Tears burst out of the six year old brunet's eyes as she knew that there was no such thing as help, and hope was lost.

Then with a powerful thrust the window smashed and a horrifying looking creature was the cause of it. Lilly's heart almost stopped when that happened. Her nerves froze as she saw this completely dark devil like creature stand before her. He turned to her and smiled in a way that took away all the troubles she ever had. She knew he wasn't danger, he was help. He picked her up and was moving towards the window when she said "Mommy! Daddy" He looked at her with questioning eyes and she pointed towards the door. He put her down and ran towards the door with all his speed. He hit it but the door was made up of good wood and was locked. He hit it again and again until it finally fell.

Both the parents were on the floor. He took out his grappling gun and released the rope by pulling it out. He tied both their bodies and dragged them to the window from where he lowered them down to the street. Once they were safely on land. He grabbed the little girl and jumped out of the windows. It was a high jump and a normal man would've broken his legs doing so but all Bruce's training from China came in handy. He remembered how he used go up and down mountains with heavy loads on his back. The jump wasn't easy but he did it and within one and a half second they were in the street. He carried the bodies to a nearby ambulance and this was the first time he came in close contact with the authorities.

They checked the two and lucky the mother had survived while sadly the father had breathed his last. The little girl kissed the masked crusader's cheek and was taken away with the rest of her family. Bruce felt exhausted and was hoping to go home and have a good night's rest. He drove his vehicle to the mansion, through the sea obviously. When he got inside Alfred was there waiting for him. He came out and Alfred asked "Pleasant night sir?" "I'm not in the mood for jokes Alfred. Get me some hot coffee and make sure the vehicle is unharmed." He was still wearing his suit but he took off the mask and kept walking towards the bedroom. His mind was not in its normal condition. He was stressed. As soon as he entered the room he fell on the bed and shut his eyes. He was about to sleep with his suit on but got up to go to the bathroom to change because it was very uncomfortable to sleep in. As he was walking towards the bathroom door something caught the corner of his left eye.

He didn't know why he was doing it but that thing was his cell phone laying on the side table. He walked up to it and held it in his hand. A small light was blinking and it was a signal of an email. He unlocked it and checked it. It was a mail came from Vicky. He opened it and there was a video. When he hit play on the screen, all the laziness that he had, went away. He now knew that the commissioner was murdered and he called Vicky the instant the video was over. She wasn't answering. He raced towards the cave again where Alfred followed him because he had rushed. "Sir, is everything alright?" "I have reason to believe Vicky is in trouble and Throne family is responsible for it." "So, where are you going sir?" "I need to get to Gordon and ask him to come with me to Throne mansion. There are only two places Rupert will be and it's either his mansion or Thorne industry building. I'll have to look for Vicky in both" "Sir is there anything I can to do help?" "Yes" "What is it sir?" "Pray Alfred"

He put his mask on and quickly reached his vehicle. Then with a push of a button started the engine and set off. He knew where Gordon lived so he parked his vehicle in some dark alley nearby and reached Gordon's door. He looked through the window to find Gordon and his wife watching television. With fine movement of the hands he opened the door and didn't make a peep. Gordon's face was in the opposite direction and Bruce sneaked upon him. Reaching Gordon's ear Bruce spoke "I need your help" and like a cat Gordon jumped to his feet with his hand placed upon his heart.

"Don't ever do that again" he said with a deep breath. Barbra was also startled and asked Gordon if this was his masked friend. Gordon said "Yeah this is him. And you, what do you want?" he said while looking at Bruce. "The police commissioner has been murdered and the reporter Vicky Vale has been kidnapped. Thorne is responsible, and I know because I have his action on video. Harm could follow Miss Vale if we don't act now" "So what do you suggest we do?" "You come with me to Thorne mansion and if the people we're looking for are in there you call for backup and surround the building. I bring Miss Vale to safety and then take down both William and Rupert Thorne"

Gordon nodded positively and got dressed properly in his uniform. Just as they were about to leave the apartment Barbra walked behind him and said "Take this. The doctor said you need it now" handing over a pair of glasses. Gordon hesitated because he didn't want to wear them for the rest of his life but he realized that now was no time to play hero. This was serious. They walked out and in a few moments reached Bruce's vehicle. They got in and were now headed towards Throne mansion.

Although it was a silent and awkward moment in the car but it didn't stop Gordon from asking a question which was "Who are you?" Bruce was caught a little off guard and he answered with "Excuse me?" "Who are you? I mean we've only met twice and that's not a lot but what is your name. Even if you don't want me to know you're identity, you could at least give me some name, I mean what am I supposed to call you?" Bruce stayed silent for a few moments and then he finally spoke "By the end of this night you shall know what you will call me for the rest of your life."

"Let me go! Get your hands off me. Let me go!" yelled Vicky as she was being carried by William's men to his bedroom. She fought with all her strength but all was at loss as her best wasn't good enough. "Tie her to the bed. I don't like it when they hit me while the struggle" said William. They tied her hands and legs to the four corners of his bed and then were asked to leave. "Well, well, well I must say that you do look a lot better in person. Frankly, I always dreamt of you falling in my bed with me but I didn't think it'd happen so fast" She was pulling her hands towards herself but the tight chains just didn't allow her to do so. He took off his coat and was undoing his cuffs. Then he slowly moved in her direction and she started moving with all the force that she had but it was no use.

He sat on the bed just beside her and moved his hand over her face. She understood the situation and was now getting ready for what was about to happen. When he was about to move his hand from her face to the lower parts of her body, a noise came from outside the door. He ignored it and was still about to make his move when a louder noise came followed by the sound of a gunshot. And now William had to leave his position and walk towards the closet. Reaching the closet he opened the lowest draw and took out a fully loaded pistol. He had to look for cover because he knew that soon the door was going slam open and then he'll be the target.

The noise just kept on increasing and they were of furniture breaking and a lot of gun fires. William's own mind was racing at the speed of a bullet. He was planning his shots. But just in a few moments all the noise became silent and not even a peep could be heard. And then the lights went out. William tried the switches but no sign of electricity was to be found. The power was cut off and all those shooting plans William was counting on went down the drain. He kept staring at the door with his gun pointed towards it but he knew that he was technically blind in this situation. Helplessness was terrifying.

Then with a loud noise one of the windows smashed as a chair was thrown from the outside. William walked very slowly towards the window to find utter darkness. He was looking out the window when he heard the door open behind him. He turned around and shot and when the spark was created he saw his enemy's position but as soon as it was gone, his opponent also disappeared with the dark. He shot again and again only to get glimpses of the disappearing darkness and soon he ran out of bullets. He was breathing heavily and sweat of terror and hate poured out of his body.

"I don't care who or what you are, but let me tell you if you join me I can give you anything you want. I know why you're still doing it, even after the commissioner's death. It's to get properly paid, isn't it? If the police are giving you a reward for this, I promise I'll give you a lot more than they're giving. You would be richer than life. You would never need fight for this pathetic city again" That was when he was grabbed by his collar and that heavy balanced voice finally reached his ear drum saying "This city is my home. The elders here are my parents, the kids are my children and the people are under my protection. I don't fight for money. I fight for truth, honor and justice. But most of all I want to get heartless people like you out of here. I'm the city's protector and anyone who lays a dirty sight on it has to go through me!"

He threw him to the other corner of the room. William crash landed straight on his back and was trying to get up when Bruce came from behind and kicked him on the face. Bruce remembered how he used to get beaten back at the school. He remembered those humiliating seven years of his life and he threw the man around the room like a football. William found a stick and tried to hit back but his efforts had no results. Instead he received a straight punch on the left eye. He put his hands on the eye because it really hurt but just in another second he received another punch on the same eye and then another and another. Bruce's old memories were boosting him up and he kept punching William on his left eye. Bruce then ended the fight with one final kick and that too on the left side on William's face.

William fell to the floor unconscious and bleeding. Bruce turned his attention towards Vicky and moved in her direction. When he got near her, he unchained her and told her to go outside where by now the police was waiting. She ran out and started waiting along with the entire police backup that Gordon had called. Bruce searched the whole mansion and Thorne was no place to be found. There was only one place where he could be and that was the Thorne industry building. Bruce grabbed William's body and stepped out of the main door where the police were waiting. They didn't say anything and he didn't say anything, but they saw that he was nothing more than a man. He dropped the unconscious body and ran to his vehicle and set off towards Thorne industry building.

Chapter 14: Final Battle Part 2

"You miserable piece of shit" shouted Rupert at Danny while crushing his face under his boot. He had fear and anger coming in all at once. He knew that the dark vigilante was approaching in his direction and the fact that most of his empire was down the drain. He kept kicking Danny on his nose and face saying "It's all your fault you son of a bitch. It's all your fault! Now you'll pay with your life for bringing me up to this point. I was a king, no a God in Gotham and a black rat took it all away from me. If only you knew how to lead my men, we would still be ruling this place. But since you failed in your little task, I'll take your head as an apology for your failure" Rupert called in one his guards and asked him to bring a dagger.

Danny had adrenalin in every cell of his body. He knew that he had a backup plan but couldn't get his mind on it. Thorne's guard came back with a nine inch dagger in his hand. He gave the dagger to Thorne and stepped back. While Throne was looking at it, Danny spoke in his terrified and shivering voice "Sir… ummm ….. I have something that might be of use of you" "No, no, no you're just making excuses at the moment. I'm gonna enjoy this. Cutting your little shit head off will be a blast and I'll remember this for the rest of my life" said Rupert with his horrifying cruel smile. He lifted the dagger high and then brought it down with force on the table, scaring Danny more than ever before. "Well, what is it that you have for me? If its rubbish then I'll kill you slowly"

Danny stood up and went out of the room only to return with a disc in his hand. He handed the disc over to throne. He handed the disc to Thorne saying "This disc contains the recordings of the battles the vigilante had with your forces. If your trained fighters get glimpses of him fighting. They would find it easy to defeat him which you ultimately mean the return of your empire" "Not all of my men will see him fight because even if they do they won't be able to detect his movements. Call Hunura to this room" One of the guards was sent and in a few moments Hunura came.

Thorne ordered him to watch the videos on the disc and so he did. All his attention was focused on the vigilante and by the end of all the videos; he believed that he was in position to finish the vigilante off for good. He remembered his own training in the dense jungles of Africa. How he wasn't fed for days and how his masters used to treat him like a dead dog in the heat of the full sun. He was trained to kill and he proved his training well by killing his masters one by one. He also remembered the journey in the tight containers which brought him to the US. He was weak and useless when he landed on this soil and no one was willing to help him. He would've died if it wasn't for Rupert, who at first treated him the same way his masters did but once he realized the animal that lived within this dark and large man, Rupert gave him good food and respect among his men. Eventually he became Rupert's personal guard who would gladly give away his life for the sake of his master's honor. Rupert loved him more than he loved William.

Today was his test; he was to prove his loyalty to his master. He knew that the vigilante was an honorable foe but he was also aware of the fact that he was second to none. He finished watching the video and turned to Rupert and said "Master, stay close to me. We shall stay in your office which is on the top floor. If he survives your strongest warriors it will take him time to reach us, and if he reaches us that will be his end. I would lay my head in your feet and you know that. If the fight goes our way you shall wear your crown again but, if unfortunately I am defeated you must flee in your chopper that lies on the roof and go wherever you feel safe. You were kind to me master and now is my time to pay the debt. Now let us move fast"

Harper Dent was the angel that saved a poor boy in the most frightening night of his life. He was someone Bruce wanted to thank in person but the busy lives of night and day didn't allow him to move. His son was someone Bruce had never seen but heard a lot of, and now as he flew his vehicle over Gotham city towards the end of a tyrant, he also promised himself to not let a finger fall on the man we know as Harvey Dent. His body was under his full control but the hard duties of the night were gaining up on him as he was tired at the moment. He was fully motivated but a little unsure of the results of this night.

He reached his destination at last and dropped to the ground floor of the building. It was dark and silent. A normal fighter would rely on what he sees but Bruce was independent of sight. His sense of smell, touch and hearing were far beyond any normal human being. With the steps of utter silence he walked through this horrifying yet kinda fun adventure. He walked up to a large door which led to a hall. This hall had a few glimpses of the moonlight coming in. Bruce stepped in believing it to be safe but, just as he entered a dagger flew just above his head cutting the extra-long ears on his mask.

He ducked and saw in the dim interior, massive amount of shurikens in his direction. He jumped to his left and rolled into a standing position. His blood was rushing and before he knew it, one of the nineteen grabbed him by the neck from behind. Bruce was caught up in a hold and his air was cut out. His struggle was still underway when he noticed two more men coming from the front. They rushed in his direction and he remembered his training in china. He remembered how his master taught him to throw heavy stones in a great distance. So when they came within his legs' reach, he jumped up and held one the new comers head between his boots and rotated his entire body towards the left, eventually getting out of the neck hold and dropping two of his opponents on the ground unconscious. That jerk might seem easy in most shows we watch on television but it was given with a tremendous amount of force and power. The third man was still standing his ground.

Bruce jumped to his feet only to find the third opponent jumping towards him and four more following his direction. The man jumped like a wild cat with his hands in the front and legs fully stretched in the back. Bruce grabbed him by the right arm and started rotating his body. After only a few rotations he was thrown in the direction of his fellow warriors who were approaching the vigilante. Three of them got hit and fell while two dodged the strike and kept moving forward. The fallen also got up and followed the two. This battle was getting tense as they were cornering him.

The two in the front reached him and started attacking him with all sorts of strike combinations they knew. He started defending himself and fighting back. The speed of their movement could not be detected with eyes like yours or mine. After a few seconds Bruce got slammed in the face by one of them and he bent a little towards the ground but this was exactly what he needed. He knew it wasn't part of his normal routine but this was an emergency. He hit both of them in the family jewels. That was a strike even the strongest fighters feel. They fell to the ground and couldn't break out a sound but their followers by that time had reached their spot and so the fight was not brought to a stop.

They started attacking him in the same manner and he saw that three more were coming his way, from three different directions. He was fast and strong but he wasn't invincible and so when the other three jumped into action he started receiving some major blows all over his body. Six trained fighters at once were a little too much for our vigilante. The most painful strikes that he received were on his ribs and face. There were still ten more who weren't participating in this beat down because they didn't thought they were needed. A little mistake is all it takes which is what one of them made. He grabbed Bruce by the cape and threw him away from the corner. It wasn't a pretty fall but it was required at the moment. Being heavily bruised, one would think that would mark the end of it but no. This bat had a few more tricks under his wings or, should I say in his belt. As soon as he fell he raced to his feet and took out the tear gas bombs from his belt and threw them in every direction of the hall.

In just a few moments all visual was lost. No one could see anyone else. The six that were on the ground separated to look for the vigilante. Tears rolled down their eyes and it was hard to see anything but it wasn't the same case with our hero as he had a smoke mask on. In that smoky blindness he attacked them one by one, using every muscle in his body to its fullest. His every strike was with all his force. And so, though it looked impossible he took down all six of them during the smoke, but unfortunately for him as soon as the smoke blew away the rest jumped to the scene.

He realized that he was in the center of the hall and five of these trained warriors were on his left and the other five on the right. This battle was very uneven as it was ten trained warriors against one wounded vigilante. He looked over his right shoulder and then his left and again his right and again his left. He knew that to win this fight he must forget the sense that to us, is commonly known as "PAIN" But how does one do that? He noticed the circle was closing in on him and that time was not his best friend at the moment. Then it hit him. He remembered that night he spent in the layer of the invisible. He had to learn to overcome fear and pain in his first shinobi lesson. He knew that the circle had almost closed upon him but he shut his eyes for just a moment and remembered the one man who died at his hands, the man who gave his life for Bruce, his friend and brother, Aito Akashi.

He opened his eyes and saw a kick headed right towards his face. He punched that leg with his right hand and broke that bone. He stepped a few steps back received a few heavy strikes on his back but didn't seem to care. He cared only about the four in front of him, not the five behind him. He was trying to lock a target and so he did. He just grabbed one of them and started beating him ignoring the blows inflicted by the rest. It wasn't a ride on the city train but it was possible and he crushed their pride one by one. His face was blue and purple but he didn't stop. His reason to fight was stronger than anyone of them and so after almost two hours of this horror show Bruce stood on the pile of broken bones and blood all over the floor. Yes the warriors were defeated.

He walked all the way to the stairs but once he started running up, he started to feel the pain again. It was worse than ever and now was not the time for it. Each step felt heavier and every cell in his body was screaming for one thing "REST" But that was not an option. He ran at his top speed to Thorne's office door. When he opened the door the room was fully lit and Thorne was sitting on his chair comfortably. "You are one crazy son of a bitch. Look at you, the thing is I don't get you. Why would you do this to yourself and me? Hunura here is stronger than all those you fought downstairs and you are not even in your best form. Yet you still manage to pull your beat up ass all the way up here. Is this a death wish? Why don't you commit suicide instead? And just for the record, who in hell's name are you?!"

He kept silent and didn't say a word. He looked at this monster through his swollen eyes. Then he moved his feet forward and tightened his fists again. That was enough for Thorne and he signaled Hunura to attack. Hunura was wearing a suit. He took off the coat and the tie. He then started moving in the vigilante's direction. Thorne was in no mood to flee and wanted to enjoy this defeat. At first Bruce was slow but when he saw Hunura advance, he ran towards the beast. Bruce gave the first strike directly on his lower jaw. Hunura wasn't expecting that from a wounded freak. They were almost the same in size but obviously Hunura was slightly bigger and had fighting experience far greater than Bruce.

The first strike got him angry and he responded by throwing Bruce to the ground with one punch. Bruce landed and stood again only to receive a set of striking combinations on the ribs. But the battle was not one sided as, lesser in quantity though they were, Hunura also felt the steel fists on his stone chest and face. This striking session finally ended with Bruce kicking Hunura on the face and with the swiftness of a rabbit Hunura returned and grabbed Bruce by his cape and started rotating him. The cape was made of fine and strong fabric but like Bruce it had been through a lot this night and so it was torn off and Bruce went flying towards a wall.

Hunura thought the battle was over but when he got close to pick Bruce up, he received the four fingers of the right hand in his stomach. It was the same technique which was used on Bruce in the layer of the invisible. He thought that it would be enough to finish this fight. Although Hunura felt the blow heavily but he stood his ground and said "I've felt worse!" He signaled Thorne to leave the room. Thorne got up and ran out the door. Bruce ran after but he was blocked by Hunura as he held him in a bear hug. This was not a good place to be in. The pain was unbearable and no matter what he did Hunura wasn't letting go. Bruce finally screamed. It could've been heard all the way to the basement.

Bruce couldn't think of anything other than the pain. His mind was blank and when he lost almost all hope, he remembered the bat in his room, the bat on his parents' dead bodies, the bats in the layer of the invisible and the bat during his krav maga training. That was his strength and his current reason to live. He pushed his muscles beyond their limit eventually loosening Hunura's grip. Then with a heavy breath he pushed Hunura's arms away. Before Hunura could realize anything, Bruce rushed towards him and punched him on the wound in his abdomen. Hunura bent his head forward due to the pain and received a knee on the nose. Now he had two bleeding spots. Bruce ducked down and kicked his legs bringing him to the floor. Once he was down Bruce got up on his chest and starting punching his face with all the might he had left in him. Hunura tried to defend himself and was successful the first few times but Bruce's rage won and he was knocked out.

When Bruce realized that he was out, he stood up and screamed out on the top of his lungs. He left the wounded monster on the floor and ran towards the roof. When he reached the roof he saw that the chopper was already in the air and Thorne was flying it. At first Bruce thought that this was it, but then he realized that it wasn't that far off the ground. He ran and used his grappling gun aiming at the chopper. It caught the corner of the door and Bruce started climbing up. Thorne lifted the chopper to a greater height. Bruce looked down thinking that this was it but to his surprise the entire police force had just reached the scene and lights were everywhere. Even if he died back then he wouldn't have regretted it. Thorne started moving the helicopter around to shake Bruce off but, Bruce was in no mood to give up now. With every dying breath he climbed up that rope and into the chopper. When he got in, Thorne took out a pistol and tried to aim at him but before he could do anything, Bruce grabbed him by the collar and threw him out of the Chopper.

Screaming and full of fear, Thorne was racing towards what he believed to be his end. But only a few more inches away he was caught by a rope around his left leg. The chopper crashed on his building and the police started pouring in. He was pulled up to the roof. It was slow and every inch felt like a mile. When he reached the top he saw that it was the masked vigilante who pulled him up. His eyes were swollen and were looking right into Thorne's. With a trembling voice Thorne asked "Who are you?" The masked crusader looked at the sky and then looked back into Thorne's eyes and said in his heavy yet balanced voice "I am vengeance, I am the knight, I am Batman!"

Chapter 15: Conclusions

"Batman? Is that really what you want to be called?" asked Gordon on his own roof top. "Yes" was the only reply he got. "Where have you been for the last seven days? We caught Throne on the roof and he was mumbling Batman over and over again. When we asked him what it was and he said that was your name. Why didn't you show up after that night?" "That night was not a fairy tale, I was heavily injured. When I got home I could barely walk. And anyway let's talk business. Is the city safe now or there are others like Thorne?"

Gordon took off his glasses and wiped them with his handkerchief. The wind was blowing with a slight touch of freedom as if, it too realized that the city was in good hands. Along the wind was floating in air, Gordon's sleeping gown and Batman's cape. "Yes the city is safe and you are responsible for that. A few months ago it was hell and no one would have thought what the future held for them. You are a hero Batman, and never in this city's history have we seen someone as honorable as you. Thank you for all that you did" said Gordon with the tears of joy in his eyes. "Don't thank me. Never thank me again. What I did for the city was not a favor. This city is my home and if one protects his own house, he doesn't require appreciation. Although it might look safe from afar yet there are still dangers lingering in away from our sight" said Batman as he started walking away.

"Wait!" said Gordon and Batman turned towards him. "If I want to contact you, how would I do it? Do you have a phone number or a bell?" Gordon turned around and looked towards the clouds that hung in the dark sky. "I only ask because we will need you again and when we do, I will be the one to contact you. So, will you tell me how we can contact…" said Gordon as he turned back to find the roof abandoned. He was standing alone. It was an awkward feeling but something in Gordon's gut told him that he better to get used to that.

Harper Dent's funeral was one the biggest and grandest ever to be seen in Gotham city. It took place the next morning after Thorne was arrested. For most people it was just a ceremonial thing that they arrived and put down their flower and said their words, but for three people it was a tragic day. They were Harvey Dent, Jenna Dent and Bruce Wayne. Bruce waited in his car the entire time and didn't show the public his swallow face. Jenna Dent was not only sad about the fact that her husband died but also about what her son was going to do. Harvey was as straight and still as a statue. He didn't care about the world. His mind had stopped. As they lowered the coffin into the ground, tears rolled out of his eyes but he didn't make a sound. He stood there even when everybody else had left.

Harvey stood there till midnight with tears still rolling down his cheek and then he walked away into his car. He was driving back to his house when he suddenly changed his route. He drove all the way to the extreme north, to the point where his father was burnt to death. He stopped his car got out and ran to where the scene had occurred. Looking up to the sky he yelled with all his lungs "FATHER! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Then he fell to the ground crying. "I failed you father. When I was a boy you saved me from every harm but I couldn't save you from the one man who could've laid hands on you" He wiped his tears and slowly stood up. He looked around and then started walking back towards his car. He had only taken a few steps when something caught the edge of his eye.

He turned back and saw that it was a twenty five cent quarter coin on the ground, near a trash can. He reached for it and picked it up. He was amazed to find out that the George Washington side of the coin was fine but the other side was totally burnt out. That coin must've belonged to his father. He held it in his fist and every muscle in his body was tightened. With blazing eyes he looked at the coin and said "I swear to your death my dear father, Rupert Thorne will pay. Even if it takes everything I have, I will do the same to him as he did to you. I will burn him" Then with a sudden shock he released the tension and realized what he just said. He put the coin in his pocket and drove back home. It might not look as that big of a deal but that was a start of a new person.

After Bruce's meeting with James Gordon on the roof he went to check on the city and it seemed fine. He was very on the inside and so he returned home that night without any fight at all. The next morning he realized that it had been a week since he had seen or spoken to Vicky. He called her and she didn't pick up the phone. Then he sent her a dress and a limo. She wanted to reject it but also wanted to hear what he had to say. So she put it on and sat in the limo. She was brought to one of the grandest hotel in Gotham and there was waiting for her a candle light dinner table and the man she wanted to see holding a bokay of roses. She reached the table and he gave it to her. "If this is some kind of apology, I don't want to hear it. I got kidnapped, almost raped and stood in the biggest event this city has ever seen and you didn't even call"

"Your anger is just madam, but I was in Tokyo for a meeting and I have nothing to say in my defense except for two words. Thank you and sorry." said Bruce with eyes shining. "What for?" asked Vicky. "Thank you for being the only person that brings happiness in my phatic life and sorry for this" said Bruce as he held her back and pulled her closer and locked her petal like lips into his own. She resisted him a little showing her anger but, she loved him and after only a few jerks started kissing him back. "Now that's what I call an apology" said she when it was over. They sat down and ate the food. It was later discovered that Bruce had bought this hotel and named the papers in her name.

She was thrilled and couldn't say a word. They spent the entire day and night together, well almost together as Bruce left the bed in the middle of the night sure of the fact that she was asleep. He walked into the cave, put on his suit and got into his vehicle which he now called "Batmobile" He flew over the city looking for any crime in progress or any distress calls. He found a few and cleared them out. Then he continued on his path and in couple of minutes reached his destination. It was Gotham Police Department office roof. It had a spot light which was not used for a long time. He turned it on and closed the door that led to the roof.

"Wake up, wake up. James wake up!" said Barbra Gordon to her husband. "Barbra whatever it is, can't it wait till morning? I've got work tomorrow. Please go back to bed" "No James you have to see this. It won't last till the morning. Get up now" said Barbra with all the excitement in the world. James sat up, wiped his eyes and put on his glasses. "Well, I'm up what is it?" he said standing up on his feet. "Look at the sky" "I know you love the stars when they shine at night but are they worth waking me up at this hour?" said Gordon. "It's not the stars. Would you please look out at the sky?" "Alright, alright let me see what the big deal is" said James before he stopped totally motionless. The spot light on the Gotham PD building was turned on and the figure of a man was standing in front of it. His head was bowed down and then it was lifted up revealing the two extra-long bat like ears. Then a cape was released on his sides. And then by extending both his arms to their widest length on either sides while holding the cape, the signal turned from a man to a bat.

For the rest of the world it was an unresolved mystery but, for Gordon it was that way of contact, and he turned to his wife and said "That's the batman"

Chapter 16: It All Ends With A SMILE

"What am I gonna do?" said Danny to himself as he walked back to the apartment in that corner of the city. It had been a week since Thorne was arrested and even though Danny hated the man, he was getting paid for being there. Now he was broke and had been wearing the same purple suit the entire week. He knew that he didn't had the money to pay his apartment rent and he knew how annoying the owner was. He was looking for a new job but anywhere he went people would recognize him as Rupert's secretary and wouldn't give him the job. He had nothing now.

Finally after walking miles and miles he reached his apartment building. He walked up the stairs to his door only to find the owner standing outside with his arms locked into each other. "Today was your final date. Do you have the rent or should I through all your shit out of my property?" Danny was hungry, weak and desperate. He walked up to the owner and said "Mr. Rogers, I have nothing but a request for more time. If I don't pay within a month you can kick me out. Please sir I have absolutely nothing at the moment to give you"

Rogers knew what type of man Danny was and so before kicking him out, he wanted to have some fun with the clown. He took out a pen from Danny's front coat pocket and said "You worked for Rupert Thorne all your life and he didn't even give you a bit of his money. You were loyal to him and he beat you like the little caroche you are. Why should I help you? After all you are a little clown and I'm pretty sure there are a lot of circuses in town, so why not join them?" He started laughing at Danny.

Tears were Danny's response to this action as he started to realize that he never had a moment of peace with Thorne around and now that he was gone, everything was worse. He started crying with his face in his hands while Rogers kept on laughing. "What was it your boss used to say to you? Ohh don't tell me. It was, hey Danny tell me a joke and you'd do it every time. And after you were done with your lousy joke he'd slap you like this" said Rogers as he slapped Danny on the face. Danny was standing at the edge of the stair and that slap threw him off balance and he fell on his back and started rolling down the stairs. Eventually he stopped at the end of the stairs where the back of his head hit a rack full of paints and a box of green color paint fell on his head.

He stopped moving after that. Rogers' laughter went away and he rushed down the stairs. He took the box off Danny's head and jerked him a little to wake him up. "Danny? Danny? Oh please wake up. Man if something happens to you the police will eat me or maybe that Batman character will do something worse. Please open your eyes man. Please!" He kept jerking Danny but success was not achieved. After minutes of yelling and screaming, Danny finally broke a sound. He started getting up to his feet but he kept his face in his hands.

Rogers was as glad as ever and would've gladly given Danny his apartment provided he wasn't complained about. "Danny, are you okay?" asked Rogers in still a bit troubled voice. "Hehe…. Hehehehe…. Hehehehehehehehehe…. Hehehehehehehehe… Hahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" was Danny's response to Rogers' question. He looked up into Rogers' eyes and looked absolutely horrifying. He had green hair, skin as white as the snow and the smile of a crippled clown. "Ohh dear boy, I'm not Danny any more, call me; the Joker. I hate the name clown which is why I chose this one. Anyway you wanted a joke right? Well I'll give you a joke but remember you asked for it because this one's gonna be a killer"

Danny grabbed the pen from Rogers' hand and stabbed the man in the stomach with it. He then pushed Rogers to the ground and stuffed his handkerchief into the man's mouth. He put his right leg on Rogers' left hand and his left hand on Rogers' right hand. Rogers was struggling with all his might but this psycho had the strength of three men. Losing his sanity was the cause of his newly found strength. "Now I've always been insulted because I could make people laugh but I promise you that once you start smiling for me, you'll never stop" saying this, he took out the pen again and using its rough tip he started cutting off Rogers's upper lip. It was very hard but he enjoyed it and Rogers struggled like a fish out of water. Once the upper lip was done Danny looked at him and said "Nah… you don't look happy. I know something that'll make you smile" He started cutting the lower lip as well. Again the amount of pain that man was going through could not be imagined. Danny cut his upper lip all the way up to the nose and the lower lip all the way to the chin.

"I know you like it but there's still something missing. Ohhh Yes! I know. I'm sorry I kept you waiting" said Danny as he started cutting off the man's eye lids using the same pen. Hell would've been sweeter, thought Rogers under the pain. Danny laughed that terrifying laugh as he finished off both of the man's eyelids. After he was done, he just started stabbing the man in his eyes with the pen and still kept on laughing. The blood jumped up and down and covered Danny's face, especially his lips. He stood up after his little scene and looked around. He had a lot to do. This city was never kind to him; it deserved the same fate as Rogers.

He was still standing when a newspaper flew onto his face. He held it in his hand and the headline said "The Vigilante is called Batman" He looked at it and gave a smile at the word Batman. Danny laughed a lot more after looking at the paper and then said "Now that name sounds depressed. I bet I can bring a smile on your face. No, I'm sure of it. Yes! I'm sure of it. I'll be the Joker you need Bat-Man"

Picture of Qasim Bin Abrar Syed


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